


Tim Travel

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: M/M, Tim's sent back in time, robin!jason, this got longer than expected, time travel fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2018-10-27 16:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: Tim gets sent back in time, which shouldn't be a big deal, except it is. As he struggles to build a working time machine after being sent five years into the past, he has to navigate some rocky and not-so rocky interactions with Jason when he was Robin. As much as Tim works to keep from affecting the time stream, the consequences of what happens in the past will always remain, even if they are different from what's expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT!!!! I was like, hell yeah I can sit down and do this as a oneshot and not have to worry about starting another multi-chap fic, but then the word count just kept growing and growing and growing and it made me want to scream. So here's the first part of this fucking fic for you because I was not going to keep working in the same Word Doc after I already reached 10k. And hopefully this is half of the fic already. Because I'm ready to scream. 
> 
> I hope you fucking enjoy this, peasants. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim gasped as his back came into contact with the top of a building, gravel digging into his shoulders and pricking his neck where his hair didn’t quite reach to bridge the gap above the neck of his uniform. The flash of light that had surrounded him, evaporated out of existence and he was left trying to blink away the spots in his vision and force his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. He groaned, body aching and pushed himself into a sitting position.

He looked around and found comfort in the fact that he was still in Gotham. He’d recognize the skyline and the thick air pollution anywhere. He staggered to his feet, still feeling a bit off from being sent from wherever and closed his eyes as he tried to regain a sense of his body. He moved over to the edge of the building and looked at the street below.

This wasn’t the area he’d been in when he’d confronted the evil scientist, but that didn’t matter at the moment. What mattered was getting back to his previous location and stopping him before he could cause serious damage to the city.

“Who are you?”

Tim whirled at the familiar gravelly voice. “Batman? What are you talking about? It’s me, Red Robin.”

“I don’t know anyone by that name. What are you doing in my city?”

“Batman! What happened? What is it?”

A blur of red and yellow streaked across the building and stopped at Batman’s side. Tim knew that he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. Because the Robin in front of him was none other than Jason Todd. He looked between Jason and Bruce, trying to figure out what might’ve happened to send him here. If he even was here.

“What-“ he croaked and swallowed, trying to quell his rising panic. “What year is it?”

“What year?” Robin asked, obviously confused. “It’s 2012. What are you, stupid?”

“Hush, Robin,” Batman said and if the tender tone to Bruce’s voice hadn’t been there he just might have accepted that this was all a dream.

He staggered backwards, almost as though he’d been dealt a physical blow. “This is bad. This is very, very bad.”

“Look if you don’t tell us what you’re talking about this instant-“ Batman snarled.

“You don’t know me. Because I’m from the future.”

“How?” he growled.

“I-I don’t know! One minute I was fighting this scientist on the other side of Gotham and the next thing I knew, I was falling through a portal and landed here.”

They stared at each other in silence. Tim didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know how to convince him of what he was saying or how they were going to make this better.

“Look, I’m sure that you’re reluctant to believe what I have to say and I don’t know how I can prove to you that I am from the future. Other than the fact that I know your secret identities.” He winced as the words left his mouth. This was probably a one way ticket to the pain express.

“How?” Batman growled.

“Because you trust me enough to know them. And I kind of figured it out on my own…Bruce.”

“You’re coming with me to the Cave.”

Tim let out a breath. That was more progress than he was expecting to make after being here all of five minutes.

“Lead the way,” Tim said, pulling his own grapple gun from his belt and following Bruce and Jason off the side of the building.

The Cave was a little more bare than he was used to since it was five years before his most recent visits and memories. It wasn’t any less awe-inspiring, though.

Bruce sat Tim down in one of the many chairs that had been placed in front of the computer and stood in front of him, arms crosses. Jason peeked around his cape, curiously watching as the events unfolded.

“Now that we’re back here, tell me your name.”

“I don’t think that’s-“

“Now.”

Tim raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Look, I know you’re not the most patient guy, especially when you’re trying to decide whether or not to bash my head in, but if I tell you who I am and you learn who I become, who knows what that might do to the time stream.”

“And what if it changes nothing?”

“Can you honestly tell me that if you know who I am, you won’t do anything to try and stop me from setting out on the path that brought me here? You won’t interfere in any way? Because I sort of find that hard to believe.”

“Can you give me a first name? Something that I can call you.”

Tim mulled over the request.

“I suppose so. You can call me Tim.”

“Okay…Tim. You have no idea how you got here other than a scientist being trigger happy?”

“Right. I don’t know anything about what technology he was using or what other gadgets he could possibly have. The only thing that I do know is that I need to get back to the future as soon as possible.”

“At least you don’t have to worry about your parents never meeting.”

Tim didn’t jump. He swear he didn’t. Maybe tensed a little because he was not used to having miniature versions of Jason Todd pop up next to him and take him by surprise.

“I-what?” he asked, dumbly.

Jason crossed his arms and laid his head down on top of them where they were on the arm rest. “You don’t have to worry about your parents never meeting. You know, like in the _Back to the Future_ films.”

“Uh…right.”

“You have seen those, haven’t you?” he asked.

“Uh, no…I haven’t.”

“What?!”

“Jason calm down,” Bruce sighed, finally pulling back his cowl. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to take off your domino, can I?”

“I’ll consider it if you let me have a shower,” he said, grinning.

Bruce walked over to his computer and pressed a button.

“So you’ve really never seen those movies?” Jason, running around the chair so he was in Tim’s line of sight.

He shook his head.

“We’re going to watch them.”

“Jason,” Bruce said, giving him a warning.

“It’s all right, Bruce. Sorry, but I should get to work on trying to figure out how to get myself sent back home. I can’t exactly stay here in case it disrupts the time stream.”

Jason pouted. “Fine. I didn’t want to watch them with you anyway.”

Tim smiled at him a little sadly. He knew all too well that Jason didn’t like him much. Even though the reasons and circumstances were different for them to be meeting at this point in his life, Tim wasn’t surprised that Jason still wouldn’t like him.

“You called for me, Master Bruce?” Alfred’s voice rang out as he entered the Cave carrying a tray of food.

“Yes, Alfred. This is Tim. He’ll be staying with us for a little while. Please prepare a room for him and he’d also like a shower and a change of clothes.”

“Welcome, Master Timothy,” Alfred said, setting down the tray with what was Bruce’s dinner on the available table. Tim glanced over at Bruce to see if he might have recognized the name, but garnered no reaction. He hoped that it would stay that way. “If you’ll follow me, I can take you upstairs.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” he said, standing.

“And Master Jason, I do believe that it’s time for you to get ready for bed.”

“But it’s Sunday and I don’t have school,” he whined.

“All the more reason that you should get some rest. You don’t want to sleep the day away and you should finish up your homework before it’s too late.”

“Alfred you know I already finished my homework,” he huffed but hurried to catch up to the butler. Tim had to hide his smile behind his gloved hand because he never knew that Jason could be so precious.

“Then you’ll have plenty of time to read that new book that you have instead.”

“Oh yeah! I’m going to go get ready for bed then. The sooner I get to sleep, the sooner I get to read!” Jason said, taking off down the hallway.

“This will be your room for the night, Master Timothy. It has an ensuite bathroom that is already stocked with soaps and shampoos, as well as towels. If you leave your suit on the bed, I can have that cleaned for you and I’ll do my best to track something down that might get close to fitting you.”

“Thank you, Alfred. I really appreciate this.”

“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” He bowed slightly before shutting the door behind him.

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was going to get pretty complicated. Not only did he have to recreate the technology that had sent him back here in the first place, but there very well couldn’t be two Tim Drakes running around. Now or later down the road. He’d have to work quickly and probably stay locked in the Manor to keep anything terrible from happening.

And that also meant he couldn’t mess with the events that were going to come whether he liked it or not. As much as it would make things better, he couldn’t save Jason from the Joker. He couldn’t be here to prevent Bruce from going down a self-destructive path because his younger self would have to do that instead.

Tim made a mental note to jot down all of his theories about what he’d experienced during his short stint of time travel. Hopefully that would help him as he tried to re-engineer the thing. He’d also need to ask Bruce about any knowledge or technology that he might have on hand when it came to time travel. There had to be something. Even if it was only a weak theory.

Instead of continuing to worry about it, he stripped out of his suit and left it folded on the bed with his domino on top. He headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Even for a guest room, the bathroom was spacious. The shower more than big enough for one person, not that he really cared about that at the moment. He just wanted a chance to step under the hot water and wipe the grime off his skin.

He turned on the water and looked over himself in the mirror. His face had been scratched up from his fall through the time portal, but other than that, he wasn’t suffering from any other injuries. He ran a hand through his hair and opened the shower door before stepping inside. The air had already been warmed by the flow of water and he stepped forward, letting it wash over him and run down from his shoulders.

He stuck his head through the bathroom door after his shower and was pleased to find a stack of clothes on the bed. Tim walked out, towel wrapped around his waist. Alfred had brought him several sweaters that looked like they were from the days of Bruce’s childhood and a few pairs of pants. Underneath it was a tee and a pair of sweatpants. He was even pleased to find an unopened package of boxers underneath it all. Alfred really did think of everything.

He ripped open the package of boxers and slipped them on underneath his towel before undoing that and slinging it over his shoulder. He pulled on the sweats which were a little baggy, but still fit well and walked back into the bathroom to hang up the towel. When he returned to the bed he moved the clothes so they were on top of the dresser and slipped the shirt over his head before shutting off the light and crawling under the covers.

Maybe if he was lucky, he’d wake up the next morning and find out that this was all just a very strange dream that never actually happened.

The soft sound of a door opening had Tim’s eyes flying open and tensing. He sat up quickly, ready to face the oncoming threat only to find a pair of blue-green eyes staring curiously at him from around the door. He relaxed and fell back against the mattress.

“Oh, it’s just you, Jay.”

“Jay? No one’s ever called me Jay before,” he protested, still shielding himself behind the door.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.

Jason shrugged, but didn’t answer.

“Did you need something? Did something happen?”

“Alfred wanted to know if you wanted to come down to breakfast.”

Tim pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before standing. Jason pushed the door open and watched him as he walked over, having to tilt his head back so that he was looking up at his face. Being almost a foot taller than Jason was something that he wasn’t used to experiencing. He forgot how short Jason had actually been during his time as Robin.

Jason squinted up at him. “How old are you?”

“17,” he answered without thinking and then mentally chastised himself. He couldn’t let any more information about himself leak. The fewer people who knew who he actually was, the better.

Jason pouted and moved backwards. “Stupid tall people,” he grumbled under his breath and hurried down the hallway.

Tim shook his head, far too amused and followed after him. He walked into the dining room to find Jason already occupying a seat and piling things onto his plate. Tim pulled out the chair opposite of him and sat down, only earning a glance from Jason as he focused on his food.

“Good morning, Master Timothy. Would you like some tea or coffee?” Alfred asked as he walked back into the room with a bowl of scrambled eggs.

“Coffee would be wonderful, Alfred. Thank you.”

Tim carefully transferred two pancakes to his plate and added a nice serving of scrambled eggs and bacon. After dribbling syrup over his pancakes, Alfred returned with his coffee.

“Would you like any milk or sugar to go with that?”

Tim shook his head, already bringing the mug to his lips for a long drink of what would soon turn into a much needed caffeine fix.

“Is that all you’re eating?” Jason asked around a mouthful of food.

Tim shrugged. “Could be. I care more about the coffee than the food anyway.”

Jason scowled. “But food’ll help you get big and strong like Bruce.”

Tim tapped his chin. “That’s true, but I’ve already stopped growing. And I fight crime every night so I think that makes me pretty strong.”

Jason huffed and eyed him before going back to his food. “I still think you should eat more. You’re tiny.”

Tim snorted. “Then that makes two of us, shorty.”

“Hey!” he protested. “I just haven’t hit my growth spurt yet. I won’t be short forever.” Tim chuckled at the blush that spread across Jason’s cheeks. It was nice to actually have a conversation with Jason now that he wasn’t trying to keep himself from being killed by him.

Tim propped his cheek against his fist as he took another sip of coffee. The doors at the end of the room were pulled open and Bruce walked in, already dressed. He’d probably been up for hours. If he’d even gone to sleep.

“Morning, Jason. And Tim,” he said, taking his seat at the head of the table.

Jason made a noise of affirmation, but didn’t stop his efforts of inhaling everything that was on his plate.

“Bruce,” Tim said, nodding towards him. He set down his mug and cleared his throat. “I’m hoping to get started on researching and get to work building a new machine that can return me to my own time. I don't suppose you have research on file that deals with time travel and the mechanics involved with building a machine that can support it?”

“I have some information catalogued of past experiments and attempts at putting together the process. I’m sure that I can easily get more files and research by scientists who have worked on it as well for your reference. Everything else is already on the computer in the Cave.”

“Thank you. That’s really fantastic, actually.”

“You mean you’re going to spend all day working?” Jason asked.

“I need to get back to my time,” Tim tried to explain.

“But it’s Sunday.”

“And I don’t know how long it’ll take me to build a working machine. It could still be months before I get home, even though I’m started research and work today.”

“You’re sure that you have no idea how you got sent here? No idea as to what type of technology was used?”

Tim could tell that Bruce was on edge. He wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t trust him or just because his presence could mean things could go haywire, but the thought of him being around for months was not a pleasant one.

“I have a few notes on what it felt like when I was sent here and the dynamics of the portal itself, but as far as the technology goes and how to replicate it, I have no idea. I’m going to work as fast as I can to get this figured out though. So if everything goes correctly, I won’t be intruding for long.”

“You realize that you have to stay in the Manor, right?”

“I’m well aware of that fact, yes.”

Bruce nodded and Tim thought that he could detect him relaxing just slightly. It was an improvement and he could only hope that it would continue to be so as they worked together to get this figured out.

“We can get started after breakfast.”

Tim nodded and drained the last of his coffee. “Alfred, could I bother you for another cup of coffee?” he asked, raising his mug.

“It’s not a bother at all, sir,” he said stepping forward and relieving Tim of the cool ceramic.

Tim had his legs folded up in the chair with him and was leaning against the desk in front of the computer, hands tangled in his hair and pulling gently at the strands. He sighed and leaned back, letting his hands fall into his lap as his eyes roamed over the screens again.

“This…is not a lot to go on.”

Bruce shrugged. “You’re asking for a technology that hasn’t been spread very publicly even though a large amount of research has been put into it. A lot of people have tried to make it work with varying results. I can keep scouring labs and science institutes and see what I find. You can get started on working through the mechanics and the physics that would be needed for a successful time jump.

“Right,” he said, looking over the research that he had. “You wouldn’t happen to have a pen and pad of paper handy, would you?”

“Doing things the old fashioned way?”

Tim shrugged. “I work better when I can see it all set out in front of me and look over the progress that I make.”

“Jason?” Bruce called.

Tim heard the distant grumbling coming from behind an array of machines.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked, poking his head out from behind the electronics.

“How do you think I knew?” Tim’s gaze snapped back to Bruce at his fond tone and found a small smile tugging at his lips. “That’s beside the point. Could you go get a pad of paper and a pen for Tim?”

“Fine,” he huffed and Tim watched him walk off, book tucked underneath his arm as he made his way to the stairs.

“Does he hide out down here a lot?”

“Yeah. I usually let him get away with thinking that I don’t know he’s here. He doesn’t do much other than bring a new book with him and read. Now that he’s been here for a few years and explored the rest of the Manor, he gravitates to either the library to lay on one of the couches or comes down here and hunkers down in some corner, trying to hide out from me.”

“So he hasn’t gotten the best of you yet?” Tim asked, chuckling.

Bruce’s smile tugged his lips wider even as his eyes roved over the screens. “Nope. Not yet.”

This was a fondness that Tim rarely got to see. And even when it did appear it was already diluted. The events that were still in the future for the Bruce of five years ago not making his view of the world more bitter and not making things difficult for him yet. Tim wished he could do something to make that stay. Wished that he could keep Bruce’s smiles coming and keep him happy, but that was impossible. Because if he did…what was bound to happen to the future?

Jason returned and stepped up next to Tim’s chair, the two of them finally put at an equal height now that he was sitting. He held out a yellow legal pad with a pen resting on top, his other hand still clutching his book to his chest.

Tim smiled at Jason and took it from his hands. “Thanks, Jay.”

Jason huffed at the nickname, but didn’t move away even as Tim got to work scratching out details and jotting down various scientific laws that would need to be taken into consideration when approaching time travel. He covered the recurring issues and things addressed in the reports that he’d read over fairly quickly and began to branch out into his own areas of thinking.

“You have messy handwriting,” Jason commented.

Tim’s hand froze and he glanced up at Jason who was still standing next to him, eyes watching intently.

“It’s worse since I’m trying to write fast.” He started writing slower, the change on the paper obvious. “When I scribble something down, people often ask me to translate it for them.”

“What’s that?” Jason asked, pointing at one of the scientific laws he’d jotted down.

“That has to do with physics. I need to be careful to make sure that whatever I build can get me back home in one piece.”

“What does the law say? What are the mathematics involved?”

Tim stopped writing and gaped at Jason who was still looking at the paper, hands now gripping the arm rest of his chair. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was distracted by what Tim was doing or if Jason had just gotten over his shyness that fast. He glanced up and saw Tim watching him.

“What?” he scowled.

“Uh…nothing.” Tim ducked his head and returned to his note-taking. He began to quietly explain the components of what he was writing to Jason in a soft voice. Jason didn’t seem put out by the new knowledge and often interrupted him to ask questions that Tim answered as best he could.

After a while, the two of them had fallen into silence. It was comfortable and Jason was still watching him write. Until his stomach growled.

“Hey, Tim?” he asked, poking his side.

Tim squirmed away from his finger. “What?” he asked, still focused on the calculations running through his head.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Tim looked up from his work and glanced over at Jason. “No, I’m fine. I need to keep working on this anyway. Food can wait.”

He missed the way that Jason pouted or the disgruntled sound that he made. “But Tim you need to eat!”

“I told you, Jay-“

“Don’t call me that!”

“I-what?” he asked, finally giving Jason his full attention. Jason was scowling at him, cheeks flushed and hands balled into fists.

He pointed his index finger at Tim’s face. “You’re not allowed to call me that until you come upstairs with me and eat lunch.”

Tim stared at him and blinked several times, feeling utterly bewildered. He looked over his shoulder, but found that Bruce was already gone. He wondered how long they’d been left alone. He turned back to face Jason who was still watching him and swallowed.

“Umm…okay?”

Jason scrutinized him once and nodded. He grabbed Tim’s pen and paper and set it on the desk before grabbing onto one of Tim’s hands and pulling him from his chair. Tim stumbled a bit, not quite getting his feet underneath him and stiff from sitting in the same position for so long.

Jason didn’t let go of his hand during the entire walk to the kitchen and Tim found it kind of adorable that he still tried to be tough, but was still really welcoming and caring under his original aloofness. He pushed through the doorway and pulled Tim inside, immediately catching Alfred’s attention.

“Is there something that I can do for you, Master Jason?” Alfred asked.

“Alfred could we get something for lunch?”

“Certainly. If you have a seat at the table and I can have something out to you in a minute.”

“Thanks, Alfred,” Jason said, pulling Tim with him through the kitchen. They entered the much smaller dining room and Tim’s hand was finally released as Jason moved over to take his seat. Tim sat down across from him, folding one of his legs underneath him as they waited.

“So do you pull Bruce away from his work like you did to me?” Tim asked, perching his chin in the palm of his hand.

“Alfred usually brings food for him to eat,” Jason said, shrugging.

“So what made me different?”

Jason shrugged. “I didn’t want to miss something important.”

Tim hummed. “I could’ve just explained it to you later.”

“But then I’d just be further behind and who’s going to help you build it?”

Tim snickered. “Do you quiz Bruce like this?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Of course not. He usually does all of his tech work that I’m not allowed to touch when I’m asleep.”

“Maybe I should do the same,” he mused as Alfred walked through the door and placed sandwiches in front of them both.

“No!” Jason objected. “If you kick me out of the Cave then how am I ever going to learn about time travel?!”

“From movies and books like normal teenagers?” Tim asked, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

“Oh and I suppose that’s what you did during your teen years?” Jason shot back, eyebrow quirked.

“Well…”

Jason smirked. “And you haven’t even seen the _Back to the Future_ trilogy. I’d say I’ve already got an advantage on this playing field.”

Jason’s remarks were strangely reminding Tim of Damian and his brand of snark.

“What’s so great about those movies anyway?”

“Uh, Michael J. Fox for one thing,” Jason scoffed, finally biting into his own sandwich.

“Ooh, I see,” Tim said, smirking.

“What?”

“Someone’s got a little bit of a crush.”

Jason flushed. “No I don’t!” he protested, trying to scowl through his embarrassment.

“Uh huh.”

“Well you would too if you’d seen the movies!” Jason said, pointing at him accusingly.

“I don’t know about that.”

“I’ll prove it to you. After lunch we’re going to go watch the trilogy,” Jason said, turning back to his sandwich.

“As much as I’d like to, Jay, I need to get back to work. The secrets of time travel aren’t going to figure themselves out on their own.”

“But Timmm,” Jason whined, doing his best to pout.

“Master Jason, whining isn’t very becoming of you,” Alfred spoke up from the kitchen.

“Yes, Alfred,” he sighed. “I just don’t see why you’re in such a rush. If it’s a time travel machine, you can easily travel back to the moment right after you disappeared.”

Tim’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s…actually really insightful. But that doesn’t change how long I’m in this time. The less time I’m here, the smaller my impact is on the time stream.”

“Okay…”

Tim’s heart squeezed in his chest at hearing the disappointment in his voice. “We can do it later, okay?” he conceded, softly.

Jason looked up at him, blinding smile lighting up his face. He nodded and hurried to finish his sandwich, impatient as Tim took his time to finish his own lunch, if only to make Jason more impatient with him.

“Okay, okay,” Tim said, pushing his chair back. “I’m done. Let’s go back to the Cave.”

Jason cheered and jumped out of his chair, racing ahead of Tim through the Manor. Tim chuckled as he followed him at a more leisurely pace. When he made it back down to the floor of the Cave, he saw that Jason had already pulled a second chair over to the one that he’d been working in and was sitting in it. He’d also picked up his notes and was reading over his calculations.

Tim took his seat and gently pried the notepad from Jason’s hands.

“That’s all pretty complicated, can you explain it to me?” Jason asked.

“Sort of? You might not understand everything without having experience with calculus. And I don’t think that’s something that I can teach you in a day.”

“But I’ll be able to learn it, right?”

“Of course! You can learn anything you want,” Tim said smiling down at him.

Jason grinned and shuffled as close as their chairs would allow, which wasn’t very much with the armrests in the way. He sat up on his knees and leaned over, propping his elbows on the armrest of Tim’s chair so that he could see what he was writing. Tim smiled down at him and started talking quietly.

“Jason?” Bruce’s voice broke through Tim’s explanation of mathematics.

Jason raised himself up onto his knees so that he was peeking over the back of the chair. “Yeah?”

“Time for patrol. You haven’t forgotten, have you?” Bruce’s voice was amused.

“Nope!” Jason said, jumping from the chair and rushing to get changed.

Tim chuckled and went back to his work.

“How are things coming?” Bruce asked him, voice harder than it had been with Jason.

“They’re coming. It’s still going to take a lot of work before I get everything sorted and ready to even start building a time machine. It would be helpful if I knew about the tech that sent me back here in the first place, but without that…” Tim trailed of and shrugged.

“I understand. Let me know if you need anything else,” he said before moving off.

Jason and Bruce took the Batmobile when they left, leaving Tim alone. It was only a moment, before Alfred came down and joined him, taking up his vigil at the screens to track their progress across Gotham and provide backup on the computer. The trusted second set of eyes that Batman always had.

Tim put his notes aside for the moment in favor of watching the screens. It had been years seen he’d seen Jason and Bruce work together. And most of his memories were from behind a camera lens. And even those and the pictures he took were largely focused on Jason since he loved watching Robin fly.

They worked together well. There was no denying that. Even when Jason punched a little bit harder than necessary. But that was so inherently _Jason_ that it brought a smile to his face. He pulled his knees up to his chest and let himself be content with watching.

Tim frowned when Jason finally made it back to the cave. He had a long, albeit shallow cut, running down his arm. Bruce was still out on patrol, but Jason had been sent back since he needed to be patched up and had to go to school later that day anyway.

“Master Timothy, will you go and clean up Master Jason while I continue to monitor Master Bruce?” Alfred asked from where he was still in his chair.

“Of course, Alfred,” Tim said standing.

Jason had already pulled off his domino and was sitting on the medical table, frowning even as he swung his legs back and forth over the side. Tim pulled the first aid supplies from the cabinet and set them next to Jason as he took his arm. He poured some antiseptic on a cotton pad and gently took Jason’s arm in his hand, dabbing gently to clean up the blood.

Jason hissed and tensed in his grip, but didn’t pull away.

“You should be more careful, you know,” Tim murmured.

“Whatever,” Jason said pouting and looked away.

“I mean it. You could afford to be a little less reckless.”

Jason looked at him sharply. “Why do you _care_?” he snapped.

Tim just looked at him, knew that his expression was probably sad. “Because I do, okay? Because I don’t like it when you get hurt. It makes me sad.” He turned back to Jason’s arm, tossing the now bloody cotton pad into the trash before he got to work wrapping Jason’s arm in gauze.

“Sorry,” Jason mumbled softly.

Tim tied off the gauze and smiled at Jason, running his fingers through his hair quickly. “Come on, I’m sure that you’re hungry and want to grab something to eat before you have to go to bed.”

Jason grinned and jumped off the bed, running off ahead of him towards the steps leading back up to the Manor. Both of them missing the small smile that pulled at Alfred’s lips as they ran off.

By the time Tim walked into the kitchen, Jason had already put together a bowl of cereal for himself and was sitting at the table. He’d brought the box with him as well as another empty bowl.

“Do you really need two bowls?” Tim asked as he sat down.

“Don’t be ridiculous, the second one’s for you,” Jason explained, pointing his spoon at him.

Tim’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but a smile pulled at his lips. “Thanks,” he said and poured his own bowl. They ate in silence, Jason finishing up far faster than him. He hopped up to go take his bowl into the kitchen, but Tim stopped him, taking it from his hands.

“I can do it,” he protested.

Tim shook his head. “Go and get ready for bed. You have school tomorrow so I can take care of this.”

Jason opened his mouth before closing it and biting his lip. Tim knew that he probably wanted to argue, but he finally just shook his head before running off into the Manor. Tim finished up the last of his cereal and took the bowls into the kitchen. He washed them quickly, leaving them in the drying rack to air dry before he slipped out the door and up the stairs to the room he was staying in.

Tim blinked his eyes open slowly. He rolled onto his back and stretched his arms over his head, arching his back slightly before letting himself fall onto the mattress. He pushed away the covers and yawned as he walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

When he finally made it down to the kitchen to grab some coffee before getting back to work, he found Alfred there cleaning up the remainders of breakfast.

“Ah, Master Timothy. It’s nice of you to finally join us.”

“Morning, Alfred. Could I bother you for a cup of coffee?”

He shook his head, turning of the water and drying his hands on a dish towel. “As I told you before it’s not a bother at all, Master Timothy. Would you like some breakfast as well?” he asked as he pulled a mug down from the cabinet.

“I’ll just start with the coffee for now, thank you,” he answered, taking the mug from Alfred’s hands and taking a seat at the kitchen table. “Jason made it off to school, I hope?” he asked, sighing as he took a sip of the warm drink.

“A little reluctantly, but he made it to school all right. Master Bruce also had to make a trip to Wayne Enterprises this morning, but he should be back before long if you required his assistance.”

Tim shook his head. “I should be fine. I just need to get working on the rest of my calculations and then start trying to figure out how to build a time machine.”

“Not an easy task.”

“Not by any means, Alfred. I do appreciate the hospitality as I work to get back to my own time, though.”

“Of course, Master Timothy. Know that you are always welcome to come back here should you need to.”

Tim took a sip of his coffee to hide his smile. “Thank you, Alfred. I’ll be sure to remember that.”

“Are you in school, Master Timothy?”

“I am. I’m in my last year of high school.”

“Any plans for college?”

Tim sighed and looked down into the last of his coffee. That was the question that he’d been asking himself for a while. “I’m not sure. I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. I’d be interested in getting a degree in computer science or something else dealing with technology. But I also enjoy being Red Robin. And then there’s the question of whether I want to start right away or take a year off.”

“I’m sure that you’ll figure it out, Master Timothy. Follow your heart and I can guarantee that it won’t lead you astray.”

“Thanks, Alfred.”

“Of course, Master Timothy.”

Tim downed the last of his coffee and pushed his chair back. “No need to worry about that now. I have to get back to my own time first.”

“Right you are, sir,” Alfred said, refilling Tim’s cup.

Tim raised his cup to Alfred before walking out of the kitchen. He hurried back down to the Cave and took his seat from the night before. The chair that Jason had been sitting in to watch him work was still there and it brought a smile to his face. As annoyed as Jason would be with any work he got done, he couldn’t delay. This wasn’t his time and he couldn’t stay.

Time passed in a blur as he calculated and brainstormed and just wracked the edges of his knowledge and imagination for any idea on how to make a working time machine. His cups of coffee blurred together and he was pretty sure that there was a sandwich in there, too. He’d felt like he’d been working for both no time at all and for days. It was one of the reasons why he was so surprised when a blur crashed into his side, spinning his chair around.

Tim blinked and looked down in shock to find Jason staring up at him. “Uh…hi? Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”

Jason furrowed his brow. “It’s 3pm.”

“What?!” Tim asked, looking toward the clock on the computer to find out that what Jason was saying was true.

“Alfred said that you’d been down here all day, but are you really that bad at keeping track of time?”

Tim rubbed at his forehead. “Time gets away from me when I’m working. It’s one of the reasons why I forget to eat.” He winced. His mouth also didn’t know when to shut up.

Jason grabbed his hand and pulled him from his chair. “You work too much. Keep this up and you won’t be able to do anything.”

“I’m fine, Jason, really. I need to keep working-“

“No, you _need_ a break. So you’re going to spar with me.”

Tim looked down at what he was wearing. The nice sweater and the khakis that he had on. “I’m not exactly dressed for sparring.”

“I do believe that I can help with that, Master Timothy.”

Tim turned to regard Alfred who was holding something in his hands.

“I cleaned your uniform for you so if you’d like to wear the pants, you are more than welcome.”

“Yes!” Jason cheered. “Hurry up and get changed,” he said, running to the changing room.

“Thank you, Alfred,” he said taking his uniform back.

“Of course, Master Timothy.”

Tim hurried after Jason towards the changing rooms and slipped into one of the open stalls. He stripped out of his clothes quickly, leaving them in a pile with most of the parts of his uniform. He slipped into his tights, quickly adjusting them so they fit comfortably. He ran a hand through his hair, nodding once at himself before heading back out into the Cave.

Jason was already in the middle of the mats, bouncing on the balls of his feet and shaking out his shoulders. He was wearing loose shorts and a tank, the cut on his arm still wrapped in gauze. Tim was glad that Alfred had left the two of them in peace. He was already shirtless and would rather have as few people get a load of his scars as possible. Jason froze when he stepped onto the mat opposite of him, eyes going wide.

Tim ignored it and the urge to cover himself, instead pulling one of his arms across his torso to stretch out his muscles.

“So how do you want to do this? Just hand-to-hand? Or shall we make things a little more interesting?” Tim asked as he continued his stretches.

“Hand-to-hand. This time,” Jason said, seemingly shaking himself out of the temporary daze he’d been in.

Tim rolled his neck one last time before falling back into a fighting stance. Jason mimicked him. They sized each other up for a moment. Tim moved first, rushing Jason. Jason blocked his first punches easily, parrying him move for move, but Tim kept him on the defensive, getting an idea of how far along in his training he was and what strengths and weaknesses he held as a fighter.

As Tim forced Jason closer to the edge of the mat, Jason switched from strictly defense to offensive defense. Tim grinned as _he_ was forced on the defensive. Fighting with Jason like this was so much different to the few encounters that he’d had with Jason as Red Hood. And one of the reasons was that this Jason wasn’t trying to kill him.

Jason caught Tim’s punch against his chest and pushed back, putting a few steps of space between them. Tim regained his footing in seconds, not giving Jason time to rest and throwing a roundhouse at his side. Jason threw up his arms to block and was pushed a few steps to the side from the momentum. Tim followed it by dropped to the floor and kicking out his leg to sweep Jason’s out from underneath him. He didn’t expect to make contact and Jason dodged easily.

Jason rushed at him before he could come out of his crouch. Tim used Jason’s momentum to pull him as he rolled backwards, kicking him off so that he landed heavily on his back. Tim lifted himself onto one arm and spun so that he could bring his feet back to the mat and face Jason.

“That reminds me of Nightwing,” Jason said, wiping sweat from his cheek.

“I picked up a few things from him when we sparred,” Tim said, rushing at Jason again and continuing the give and take that they’d kept up since the beginning of their session.

“So he’s still around in the future?” Jason asked, between breaths.

“If you mean still around by terrorizing people with his smiles and sugary-sweet personality, then yes.” Tim aimed another roundhouse at Jason, but he caught his leg this time and pulled him forward, aiming a punch at his stomach. Tim blocked and pushed them apart, chests heaving.

Jason ran at him, aiming several kicks towards his torso and feet, keeping him on his toes and nearly knocking him off balance more than once. “I wonder what my next identity is going to be,” Jason said, thoughtfully. “You’re Red Robin, we’ve got Nightwing already…”

Jason reached out with another punch and Tim grabbed onto his fist, using it to pull him in and twist him so that his arm was pinned behind his back. Jason squirmed in his hold.

“Maybe I’ll be Bluebird,” Jason continued on his train of thought. He looked up at Tim and smiled even as he worked to get out of Tim’s hold. “I think that it’ll be a nice change in a few years.”

Tim’s eyes widened as thoughts of Jason’s death at the hands of the Joker came to mind. This boy that would be a dead and bloody mess. Bruce left to find his limp and lifeless body. Tim let go of Jason’s arm with a gasp and stumbled back. He tripped over his feet and landed heavily on his back on the mat, arms splayed and gasping for air.

“Tim?” Jason asked, worried. He came over and knelt next to him, getting in his line of sight. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Sorry,” Tim apologized, voice thick. “You just caught me off guard there. Reminded me of something. Don’t worry. It’s nothing.” He closed his eyes and swallowed, willing away the emotions. He tensed when he felt something brush against his side and looked over to find Jason laying down next to him, head pillowed on his arm.

“Are you going to be okay?” Jason asked, voice small.

Tim smiled. It was small and a little sad, but it was still a smile. “Yeah.” He turned and curled his body around Jason’s, pulling him close against his chest.

Jason squirmed. “Tim? What’re you doing?” he asked, embarrassed.

“Just give me a minute. Please.”

Jason stopped moving, body still tense. As Tim stayed still, Jason slowly relaxed against him. Tim closed his eyes. Even when he was younger and following Robin around on the rooftops, he’d been lucky enough to see some of Jason’s cheer. When he met him again it was blood and pain and fists. This was a side of Jason that he wasn’t expecting. Someone who was so hopeful for the future even though they were angry at the world. Someone who was kind and caring, loyal to the people that he felt the need to protect.

Once the feeling of sweat drying became too unbearable to stay on the mat any longer, Tim pulled away, letting Jason’s body go. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Are you feeling better?” Jason asked.

Tim smiled. It was a bigger smile this time and he was coming back to himself. “Yeah. We should get showered, though.”

Jason nodded and pushed himself to his feet, running ahead of Tim. He followed slowly behind him. He picked up his clothes and the last pieces of his uniform that he’d left in the changing stall before heading over to one of the shower stalls that Bruce tended to use after patrol since he rarely went up to his room most nights. Tim showered quickly and put the clothes that he’d been wearing back on, gathering up the pieces of his uniform.

When he returned to the main room of the Cave, Jason was holding his notes, looking over everything that he’d gotten done that day.

“If you want to bring those with you, I can explain what I figured out today.”

“Okay,” Jason said, not looking up. He turned on his heel while he continued to read and headed for the stairs, Tim following closely behind.

“Ah, Master Jason,” Alfred spoke up as they reached the top of the stairs. “There you are. Have you completed your homework assignments for the evening?”

“Not yet, but we were going to-“

“Whatever it is can wait until after you complete your homework,” Alfred interrupted, tone broking no argument.

“Yes, Alfred,” Jason sighed. He handed the notepad back to Tim before walking off with slumped shoulders, presumably to get his things.

“He usually does his studying in the library,” Alfred commented before walking off.

“Thanks?” Tim murmured, confused. Shaking his head, he made his way up the steps and towards his room. He unfolded his uniform and inspected the different areas of it. Everything was in order and he was glad that it was clean, even though he wasn’t going to be able to patrol while he was there. He refolded it and placed it neatly on his dresser before sitting on the edge of his bed and pulling his notes towards him.

He tried to backtrack to what his train of thought had been when he was working before Jason interrupted him with his request to spar. He was certain that it had been about the design of the machine and ensuring that it would hold up to the capabilities and stress that time travel would place on it. He sighed and tilted his head back. This would be so much better if he could reverse-engineer whatever gun had sent him here in the first place.

His eyes darted from the ceiling to his door which he’d left open after walking inside. With a small smile and a huff, he pushed off his bed and headed out of the room, turning down the hall to head towards the library. Alfred always did know what people needed.

He pushed open the heavy oak doors and found that Jason was already sitting with his legs crossed at one of the low tables. Books and notes were spread around him as he continued to scribble down what he was working on. Tim walked over and sat down on the couch opposite, swinging his feet up so that he was sitting sideways and could lean his notebook against his thighs.

Neither of them said a word, only continued on with their own work. Tim found that his thoughts came a little easier. He was able to work through what he’d been trying to remember only a few moments ago and thought he had an idea of what types of materials he would need to make a stable machine. He’d need a second opinion though. Maybe he could show it to Bruce for his thoughts or have him pass in on to Lucius for inspection. Either of them might be able to see something that he missed or find a flaw that he’d overlooked in the early stages of his planning.

After he looked through his notes again he looked over and found that Jason was sprawled out on his back holding a book above his head. His school work had been put away and stacked neatly to the side. Tim was left wondering once again just how long it had been and how lost he’d gotten in his own thoughts.

“Finally back with us?” Jason asked as he flipped a page.

Tim snorted. “I guess so. How long have you been finished?”

“Long enough.”

Tim hummed before setting his notepad on the table in front of him so that he could stand from the couch. He reached his arms over his head and stretched, feeling a few places in his back pop and relax back into place. He moved over to the various books that covered the walls and started to run his hands over the spines.

“Do you like to read?”

Tim paused, glancing over his shoulder at where Jason was watching him, book still poised above his head.

“Some. I don’t usually give myself time to do much reading. I never got the chance to spend a lot of time with fiction either.”

“So you haven’t read any classics?”

“Nope. Well, not aside from the ones that I was forced to read in school. But those are always the popular ones that everyone knows. Although that’s the point of a classic, isn’t it? It’s infamous so everyone at least knows the title even if they haven’t read it.”

“Yeah. I find some are worth the read. Others, not so much.”

“Oh? So you’re not a book snob then? Insisting that everyone should read and abide by the pinnacles of literature. That these have to be the greatest books because they’ve lasted so long?”

Jason shook his head and sat up. He flipped his book over and left it face down to mark his page. “No. Worthwhile books aren’t always going to be immortalized in history. Some will be forgotten about and lost to time. Others not so much. Another hundred or two hundred years from now, there’s going to be another group of classic books. But they’re going to be the ones that we read. And they could be anything. They could be books that flopped and everyone hated. Books where their worth wasn’t seen until years later while the popular ones of the moment are forgotten. Lost to time even though they were lucky enough to be surrounded by so much hype.”

“So like _Fifty Shades of Grey_?” Tim asked with a smirk.

Jason scowled at him. “If you can even call that literature. From what I understand of it, it’s not exactly healthy.”

“So you haven’t read it?”

“No!”

Tim chuckled and continued his perusal as silence fell between them. He’d made his way several feet down the wall when Jason spoke up again.

“It’s sad when you think about it,” Jason said, softly.

“What is?”

“That some authors may have died thinking their work was a complete and utter failure. That they might have thought they never amounted to anything when it’s actually being read years later. That they aren’t being rewarded for their hard work.”

“But they are being rewarded. They’re being rewarded in having their writing remembered and shared and loved.”

“Yeah…but they don’t know that that’s happening. I wonder how many of them never even got to hear kind words from others after getting their work published. Did any of them even get to hear a ‘good job’ or ‘I loved this’ from someone that read what they wrote? It’s sad.”

Tim felt the words pull at his heart. He had another view of who Jason was. Jason was kind and considerate and thought in the deepest of ways. He cared about people. People he had never even met. Jason loved more than just the books that he read. He loved the authors behind the words, too.

“Maybe once I get this time machine built we can go back in time and you can visit all of your favorite authors. Tell them how much you like reading their work and what it means to you,” Tim joked.

“Don’t be stupid. Who knows what that will do to the time stream?”

Tim smiled and pulled a book from the shelf. Maybe he could do a little reading of his own and get a sense of just what Jason was talking about. He settled back onto his spot on the couch and flipped to the first page, seeing Jason flop onto his back out of the corner of his eye to do the same.

“Master Jason, please come down to the Cave to get prepared for patrol,” Alfred announced over the Manor’s speakers.

“See you later, Tim!” Jason said, hopping to his feet and leaving his book on the table in favor of racing through the hallways to get suited up.

Tim chuckled and continued to read. The book he’d picked up was surprisingly good and he wasn’t ready to put it down yet. It wasn’t like they needed his help down in the Cave anyway. Alfred would take care of monitoring the situation and he didn’t have anything else to work on until he could get a second opinion on the plans that he’d made.

The only passage of time that Tim had was each sentence. Each paragraph that morphed into a new page which he would inevitably flip for the next one. He wasn’t expecting to be disturbed until Jason got back from patrol.

“Master Timothy, I require your assistance in the Cave if you are available.”

Tim furrowed his brow and looked up at the ceiling as the speakers fell quiet. He set his book to the side and walked from the room, not quite in a hurry, but not taking his time either. Alfred had asked him to patch up Jason the night before so maybe he needed help with that. It would be easier for him to keep an eye on the computers after all.

The first thing that he heard when he got to the Cave was the sound of someone sucking in their breath through their teeth. It was a low hiss, but discernable either way. The next thing was that Alfred was bowed over Jason who was fidgeting on top of a medical table.

“Alfred?” he asked hesitantly.

“Master Timothy” Alfred said, voice filled with obvious relief. “I would appreciate it if you could monitor Master Bruce as he returns to the city while I patch up Master Jason.”

“Uh…sure,” he said, taking the chair that Alfred had obviously been occupying. “What happened?”

“Master Jason got into a bit of an accident and got his arm broken.”

Tim winced, knowing the toll a broken bone usually took on a vigilante. He wouldn’t be able to go patrolling for weeks.

“How bad is it?” he asked, even as his eyes took in the sight of the Batmobile racing through the streets.

“It’s a fortunate break. Clean through and it seems to be the ulna so it will affect that side of his arm that controls the pinkie. It’s also on his non-dominant hand so that will make his time off slightly easier.”

“Too true,” he murmured under his breath.

As Alfred continued to work, Jason became more subdued and quiet, not needing to shift as much from the initial pain that such injuries always brought. Even without Robin, Bruce was still efficient on the streets, taking care of the villains that stuck to the shadows before they could do anything too horrible.

“There you are Master Jason,” Alfred spoke up from where he was still at the medical table. “Go and get changed and get to bed. You’ll be plenty of rested for school tomorrow.”

“Yes, Alfred,” Jason responded.

Tim looked over and saw him jump down from the medical table, arm now encased in a plaster cast. He looked miserable and Tim couldn’t blame him. Getting benched was the absolute worst. He trudged out of the Cave as Alfred cleaned up the medical supplies and returned to his room.

“You should go get some rest too, Master Timothy. I can take things from here,” Alfred said, rolling his sleeves back down to button them around his wrists.

“Are you sure?” Tim asked even though he was already standing from his chair.

“Positive. I already interrupted your night enough,” he said with a kind smile.

Tim nodded and climbed back out of the Cave. He made his way back to the library, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he tried. He was too used to being up at this late hour. Jason’s things were still where he’d left them and Tim assumed that he’d be back to collect them in the morning before school. He was probably off sulking. Or fuming. Tim put his money on the latter.

Instead of going to look for him since he’d probably want to be left alone, Tim settled down on the couch again and resumed his reading.

Tim blinked his eyes open and groaned. He sat up and looked around, bleary-eyed, picking at the blanket that had been placed over him. He’d apparently fallen asleep in the library in the middle of his reading. His book had fallen to the floor and Jason’s things were gone, which meant that it was already into the later hours of the morning. He sat up and stretched his back, feeling all of the painful kinks and the tightness in his muscles that came from sleeping on an unforgiving couch. Anyone would think that with Bruce’s money, they could at least afford a slightly better couch. Although to be fair, this couch was probably as old as the Manor itself.

He scooped his notepad into his arms with the book and started for the door. The least that he could do was head down to the kitchen and get something to eat. And some coffee. He’d need it before he went to go seek out Bruce and get his thoughts on his notes. The sooner he had that conversation, the better. And maybe if he was lucky, they’d get passed on to Lucius and he’d get some feedback by the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, another update of this. 
> 
> Let me repeat what I said about the first chapter. *ahem* THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT. 
> 
> Have another 10k you peasants. And you better let me know what you think. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

On his way down to the kitchen, Tim ran into Alfred in the hallway. He was carrying a laundry basket and if the smell was anything to go by, the clothes had just come out of the dryer and were being taken upstairs to be folded and put away where they belonged.

“Good morning, Master Timothy,” Alfred greeted. “There is already a full pot of coffee waiting in the kitchen if you would like to prepare a cup for yourself. As soon as I get this things put away, I’ll be more than happy to make you some breakfast.”

“Thank you, Alfred. Would you happen to know where Bruce is this morning? I’d like to get his opinion on the calculations that I ran yesterday and ask if he’d be able to pass them on to Lucius.”

“I do believe Master Bruce is in the Cave reviewing some information from his newest case.”

“Thanks, Alfred,” Tim said, turning away and continuing down the hallway. He headed straight for the Cave and was pleased to see Bruce sitting in front of the large computer.

“Did you need something?” he asked, not looking away from the screen as Tim approached.

“Yes, actually. I was hoping that you could look over the calculations that I’d put together yesterday or do me a favor and show them to Lucius so that I could get his opinion on all of it.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know about Lucius if you know about us,” Bruce said, turning his chair around and holding out his hand. Tim pulled his notepad out from behind the book in his arms and handed it off, watching as Bruce skimmed over his writing. “I’ll send a copy of this to Lucius and between the two of us we should have something for you by tomorrow.”

Tim nodded. “That would be great, thanks,” he said before pivoting on his foot and heading back towards the stairs. He stopped himself from glancing over his shoulder, not wanting to know if Bruce was still watching him or not. Being here before he was scheduled was weird enough in itself. And thinking of time as a schedule was even weirder. He didn’t need to remind himself how much Bruce didn’t trust him.

By the time he made it back to the kitchen, Alfred had returned and was hard at work at the stove. Tim was pleased that a cup of coffee and had already been left for him on the table and he sat down eagerly, wrapping his hands around the mug and pulling it towards himself. He took a deep breath, sighing as the aroma flooded his senses and warmth seeped into his hands.

“Do you have any plans for today, Master Timothy?” Alfred asked, setting a plate in front of him.

“I’m sort of out of anything to do as I wait for Bruce and Lucius to get back to me. I started reading this book last night so I might finish that, but if you need any help around the Manor I have two sufficient hands.”

“I wouldn’t think of it, Master Timothy. You’re a guest here and I couldn’t imagine bothering you with what needs to be taken care of. But I’m sure your book will keep you occupied until Master Jason gets home. He’ll be desiring you attention this evening, I’m sure.”

Tim nodded as he took another bite of his scrambled eggs. “I suppose someone will need to keep him from climbing up the walls out of boredom.”

“Sadly. He’s never been very good at accepting when he needs to rest.”

“The same could be said of Bruce and the rest of the vigilantes of the world,” Tim added with a smile.

“Right you are, Master Timothy. Right you are.”

Alfred joined him for his morning tea while he finished up his breakfast.

“Is there anything that you’d like for lunch today, Master Timothy?” Alfred asked as he stood from the table and collected Tim’s dirty plate.

“I’m sure that I’ll be happy with whatever you decide to make, Alfred. I can think of nothing better than your cooking,” he said, following him from the table in order to refill his cup.

“You’re too kind, Master Timothy,” Alfred said with a smile.

Tim returned it easily before grabbing his book from the table and leaving Alfred in the kitchen. He walked through the Manor to the main room and looked out the Manor’s back glass doors and over the yard beyond. For once, the sun was breaking through the clouds and illuminating the dreary morning. Tim pushed the door open and stepped outside, embracing the early morning warmth. He made himself comfortable in one of the lawn chairs and flipped his book open to where he left off the night before intent on soaking up as much sun as possible as he slowly made his way through the pages of his book.

~~~

After working his way through the rest of his first book, Tim found himself back upstairs in the library. He was sprawled on the couch that he’d been on the night before and started a new book. He was so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn’t hear the approaching steps in the hallway.

“Tim!” Jason cried as he burst through the library doors.

Tim jumped, dropping his book and nearly falling off the couch in the process. He looked up as Jason ran over to him and pulled him from the couch with his good hand. “What’s up? Is it really 3pm already?”

“Yeah, thankfully. Today was so long and it was getting annoying having to answer everyone’s questions about my arm. But since I can’t go on patrol tonight, we’re going to watch _Back to the Future_.”

Tim obediently followed behind Jason as he led him to the T.V. room. He took a seat on the large plush couch as Jason rifled through the various movie cases. He pulled three from the shelf and loaded the first one before he brought the remote with him over to the couch and took a seat next to Tim. Tim smiled when Jason situated himself next to him so they were just shy of touching. He threw his arm around Jason’s shoulders and pulled him against him. Jason grumbled at the action but easily relaxed against him.

Tim watched as the title screen was brought up and music and sound effects filtered from the speakers. Jason raised the remote and hit play, tossing the remote aside as he readjusted himself against the back of the couch to be more comfortable. He tucked his feet underneath him but still kept Tim’s arm around his shoulders.

~~

The table in front of the couch quickly became filled with drink cans, empty and full alike, and plates of snacks thanks to the courtesy of Alfred. He was unafraid to bring them bowls of chips and cookies, but was adamant that the two of them did have an actual meal for dinner. They’d been forced to stop in the middle of the second film to go eat and had returned to finish the second part and were now beginning the third film.

Tim could easily see the appeal of the movies and thought the writing was pretty decent in the end. It also didn’t escape his notice that Jason would fidget during certain scenes that Michael J. Fox was in. Maybe if they got to a point in the future where Jason wasn’t trying to kill him, he could tease him about his unabashed crush on the actor.

Tim cocked his head as a man appeared on screen and began to talk to Marty, pulling a letter from his jacket. His eyes widened as he understood just what Doc had done. He gasped and shot upright on the couch, jostling Jason next to him.

“That’s it! Oh my god why didn’t I think of that before?” He jumped up from the couch and raced from the room even as Jason protested behind him. He hurried down into the Cave and made a beeline for the computer. He immediately started punching out commands, bringing up a log and putting together a message.

“Tim? What’s going on?” Jason asked, hurrying up behind him.

“Yes, I would like to know as well since you so eagerly started using the Computer,” Bruce added, coming up behind him, arms crossed over his chest.

Tim shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry. It’s just that I think I’ve found a way to get back home that might not rely on me having to build a time machine on my own.”

“What do you mean?” Bruce asked.

“Well I got the idea form the movies that Jason was showing me and if I leave a message in the computer to be revealed just after I got zapped back here, they can find the scientist and either use the technology that he’d created or reverse-engineer it to create a new gateway and bring me back,” Tim rattled off as he continued to type.

“That’ll be a lot more productive than trying to build one from scratch. You had some good theories and a portion of the complicated mathematics worked out, but it still needed a lot of work that I wasn’t sure you were going to be able to complete yourself very quickly.”

Tim nodded. “I figured. I knew what I was showing you wasn’t perfect, but I thought it was a decent start at least. This would also allow me to avoid leaving a possible trace of a machine or technology here in the past. My presence in this time is already disrupting things enough I’m sure. We don’t need anyone else to be able to travel through time and possibly impact it any more than it should be.”

“When do you think that you’ll be able to get picked up?”

Tim finished typing and set the commands for it to go live just after the time when he disappeared two days ago. “It doesn’t matter on my end since they’ll be travelling back. I told them that they can pick me up tomorrow evening. I’ll have only missed a few days and it’ll be better than a daytime attempt. I’ll be out of your hair and there will be nothing more to worry about.”

He turned and looked at Bruce, who was still watching him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I saw the security feeds from yesterday afternoon. You were sparring with Jason and he made a comment about his future vigilante persona. It took you by surprise and you tripped, landing on your back. What happens to Jason in the future?”

Tim swallowed and shook his head, taking a step backwards.

“Please…if something happens to Jason…” Bruce asked. His tone was level, but Tim could detect the desperation that was lying underneath it all. The need to know. The desire to prevent it from happening. And as much as Tim wanted to help and wanted to give him that, he knew that he couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Bruce. I can’t tell you. I know that you want to make sure everything is okay, but we don’t know what the consequences will be. You’re probably going to think that this is just me being selfish, but I can’t imagine what sort of outcome or future me telling you about these events would bring. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Isn’t there something that you can give me at least?”

Tim turned towards the stairs and curled his arms around himself. “Just…keep him close. That’s all I can say. Keep him close.” He hurried away before Bruce could get anything else out of him. He hadn’t noticed when Jason had left, but his lack of presence was shocking. He was so used to being around him for the past few days that to see him missing made him nervous.

Tim checked the T.V. room first, but the couches were empty. The movie was still paused on the screen and their empty cups and bowls of food were still there. Thinking that he just went off to his room, Tim hurried up the stairs and down the hall to Jason’s room. He poked his head inside, but frowned when he found it empty.

He paused. The only other place that he could think Jason would go would be the library. He didn’t know of any of his other hiding places. He walked back down the hallway past the bedrooms and towards the guest rooms, thinking. He hadn’t noticed when Jason had left and he didn’t know why he’d left. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed that at any age, Jason was still a mystery, following a logic that only made sense to him.

Tim turned to his bedroom and paused when he found the door ajar. He walked forward slowly and pushed the door the rest of the way open, sighing when he found Jason curled up in the middle of his bed. He stepped inside and pushed the door partly closed behind him before walking over to the bed.

“Is everything okay, Jason?”

“Fine.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow at his short and tense tone. “Then why are you in here?”

“Doesn’t matter. When are you leaving?” he asked instead.

“Oh so that’s it,” he huffed. He saw Jason curl up a tiny bit further. Tim carefully laid down next to him and wrapped an arm around Jason’s waist, pulling him against his chest. “I told them to come tomorrow night to pick me up.”

“Do you have to go?” he asked, voice small.

“Sadly, I do. This isn’t my time. I can’t stay here.”

“But who am I going to watch movies with? Or read books with? You’re my friend.”

Tim sighed and closed his eyes. If this was how he was already feeling than tomorrow was going to be pretty difficult. He hadn’t known that he’d ever be able to get close to Jason, but he was going to be content with the time that he’d had because that was all that he was ever going to get.

“I know, Jason. You’re my friend, too. But I have to go. As much as I don’t want to say goodbye, I’m going to have to leave.”

“Can we be friends in the future?”

Tim let himself grimace and smile sadly since Jason was unable to see it. “Sure. We can be friends in the future. Come and find me and we can watch all kinds of movies and you can show me the best bookstores in Gotham and after we leave with bags full of books we can go and get ice cream or something to eat.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Jason,” he said, softly.

“We can fight crime together, too,” Jason said, voice brightening now that his mind was flowing with possibilities.

“Sure.”

“We can be partners and work together. It’d be like you’re my Robin. Or I’m yours since you’re older than me…”

Tim swallowed, feeling like his heart was being squeezed at the familiar words. “We can figure something out, okay?”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between the two of them, neither of them making a move to leave the bed.

“Did you want to go and finish the movie?” Tim finally asked.

“In a minute. Can we stay like this for a little longer?”

“Of course. Anything you want Jason.”

“When I’m older I’ll help make you feel better when you feel sad.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’m going to get taller and when I’m big and strong, I’ll hold you and cheer you up.”

Tim felt the pressure building behind his eyes, but he wasn’t about to let himself cry. Not this time. His tears could wait until he was alone in bed that night or when he got back to his time. He never realized how much innocence had been lost with Jason’s death, but now that he was faced with it, he understood how it was possible for Bruce to have been pushed to the edge, unsure of where to go or what to do.

“You’re already nice and strong,” Tim said, trying to laugh. “But I’ll remember this. I’ll come to you if I ever need it.”

“Good.”

Silence fell between them once again, but it wasn’t long before Jason began to squirm in his hold, pulling away so that he could get out of the bed. Tim pulled his arm back and let Jason get up before following him to the door. The least that he could do was enjoy the little time that he had left of this time. Time was going to pass in the blink of an eye when he returned home and he’d have to go back to doing what he’d been involved in before all of this happened.

Tim settled back down on the couch next to Jason and didn’t think twice about pulling him close and heard no protest over the action. He was glad to learn that Jason was capable of dropping his tough guy act at least. They only had so much time left together after all.

~~

“Master Timothy. Master Timothy.”

Tim blinked his eyes open to find Alfred standing over him. For the second day in a row he found himself having fallen asleep on a couch. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and found that Jason was curled against him, still asleep.

“Alfred? What time is it?” Tim asked, trying to sit up slightly without disturbing Jason. He shifted slightly at the motion, but settled back against his side.

“It’s rather late, Master Timothy. Master Bruce has already left for patrol and I thought it would be best if the two of you relocated to somewhere more comfortable.”

Tim shot him a tired smile. “Thanks, Alfred. I’ll get Jason up to his room.”

“Get some rest. I’m sure tomorrow evening will put a great deal of strain on you.”

Tim nodded and watched as Alfred left the two of them alone. The soda cans and snack bowls had already been cleared away, leaving not even a shadow of a crumb in their wake. He looked down at where Jason was curled against him, face relaxed in sleep and lips parted slightly as he breathed deeply.

Moving as slowly as he could manage, he pushed himself to the front of the couch so he could plant his feet on the carpet. Keeping Jason leaned against him, he shifted him into his arms so that he had an arm around his back and one under his knees.

It took all of his Bat-training to keep Jason utterly still in his arms. He walked silently through the halls and backed his way through the doorway to Jason’s room, thankful that he hadn’t shut it all the way when he’d peeked in earlier. He set Jason down on his bed and ran a hand through his hair before leaving him alone. Tim shut the door behind him and walked back down the hallway so that he could crawl into his own bed. He only gave himself enough time to change before he was falling into bed, pulling the covers around himself so that he could try and block any and all thoughts that decided to plague him during the night.

~~

Tim’s last day in the past was both agonizingly slow and frustratingly fast. His sleep was anything but peaceful and he didn’t manage to pull himself out of bed until well into the morning after Jason had already left for school. He spent his meals in the kitchen with Alfred, enjoying the last conversations that he would have with him until he got back home and holed himself up in the library for the rest of the day. He had a book that he wanted to finish and knew that he wouldn’t find a reason to try and go back to it when he got back home. Everything else would be more important.

That’s the reason that he’d give himself anyway.

Unlike the previous two days when Jason’s return to the Manor had been loud and energetic, it was the exact opposite of that afternoon. He shuffled into the library and curled up next to Tim without a word. Tim read and Jason sat until Alfred came to get the two of them for dinner.

And then it was time for Tim to head down to the Cave. He gathered up the pieces of his Red Robin uniform and kept them tucked underneath his arm as he descended the stairs. It was no surprise that Bruce was already down there. Tim _was_ surprised that Alfred was there. And of course Jason was standing next to the two of them, staring at the ground and looking a little miserable.

“Thank you all for everything,” Tim said. “I know that my presence was a bit unexpected, but I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if I wasn’t able to come to the Manor during my unexpected stint of time travel.”

“Of course, Master Timothy. You’re welcome here any time,” Alfred said with a small bow.

“Thank you, Alfred. And you too, Bruce,” Tim said. He turned to look at Jason who was glaring at the floor. Tim dropped into a squat so that he could catch Jason’s eyes. “Jason?”

Jason glanced at him before looking away.

Tim smiled. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Do you have to go?” he asked.

“You know I do. We’ll see each other again, okay?”

Jason huffed and flung his arms around Tim’s neck, squeezing tightly. Tim wrapped an arm around Jason and held him just as close. A deep humming sounded behind him and a gentle wind began to blow. Tim pulled away and found the portal that he remembered falling through the first time. He stood up and gave them all one last look.

“Thank you,” he said, before stepping through the portal. They blinked out of sight in seconds and then he was falling again. Thankfully, strong arms caught him before he could hit the floor. He blinked several times, trying to get the spots out of his vision and reorient himself.

“Welcome back, Tim.”

He looked and found Bruce standing across from him. The arms holding him helped him stand and he turned to find Dick standing behind him.

“It’s good to be back. How long have I been gone?” he asked, readjusting his grip on his uniform.

“Only a few days.”

“The scientist that zapped you back didn’t put up much of a fight when we showed up. He pretty much offered up the time travel gun to us when we asked,” Dick said, ruffling his hair. “It would’ve been a lot longer if you hadn’t thought to leave us that message on the computer.”

“Yeah well you can thank Doc Brown and Marty McFly for that one. I was thinking I’d have to build a time machine on my own to bring me back.”

“I remember that. I wasn’t exactly happy with this complete stranger navigating the computer so easily,” Bruce said.

“So you remember everything that happened while I was there?”

“Some of it’s a little fuzzy, but for the most part I do.”

Tim hummed. “Interesting.”

“That may be so, but since when have you seen _Back to the Future_?” Dick asked, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m gonna go patrol,” Tim said, evading his question. He slipped out of his grip and hurried towards the changing rooms.

“Hey!” Dick protested.

“I’ve already missed a couple days and I’d like to get back to the streets. Can’t have people thinking something’s happened to Red Robin!” He didn’t wait for a reply before slipping into a stall and pulling off the clothes that he’d been wearing in favor of his suit. It was nice to feel the Kevlar on his skin again. He left the clothes in a pile, certain that Alfred would end up collecting them almost as soon as he left. He wasn’t planning on coming back to the Manor that night anyway. He wanted a chance to sleep in his own bed in his apartment, the memory foam already calling to him.

Before Dick could try and stop him to pull him into another hug, he jumped onto his bike and tore out of the Cave, ready to feel the wind ruffling his hair once again while he got to swing from rooftop to rooftop.

~~

Tim only had a second to brace himself as he heard the barely-there sound of gravel being disturbed before he was being shoved to the other side of the rooftop with a huge body on top of him. He grit his teeth as he was met with the sight of the Red Hood looming over him. He’d only been back an hour and he was already having to fight against Jason. He squirmed underneath the man’s hold, trying to find some way to get out of it.

“Don’t struggle so much, Replacement. It’s unbecoming,” he spat.

“Fuck off, Hood.” Tim struck out with one of his legs, hoping to upset Jason’s position on his knees and use the momentum to topple him off. Jason simply adjusted his position and laughed behind his helmet.

“I know all your moves. Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.”

Much to Tim’s horror Jason reached for his mask and pulled it off rather harshly. Tim stared up at him, waiting for a blow or something else to come, but was only left with confusion when Jason did nothing more than still.

“Tim?”

Tim felt his breathing pick up and was shocked when Jason scrambled off of him, allowing him to sit up. He reached for the catches on his helmet and frantically pulled it off. Jason wasn’t wearing a domino underneath and Tim watched as his eyes flitted across his face, searching, almost trying to convince himself that it couldn’t actually be Tim.

“Jay?” he asked softly.

A strangled noise came out of his throat before Jason was pulling him into a crushing hug against his chest.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve known that it was you…I don’t know why. I’m sorry. I would ever think of hurting you.”

“You didn’t know,” Tim said softly and Jason pulled him closer. “Time’s weird. You only just got those memories even though it feels like you’ve had them for years. It’s not all as linear as we’re made to believe.”

“I should’ve realized. When you said that you were Red Robin then and now you’re the only person with that name. It’s just I…”

“Jason,” Tim sighed. “Jason it’s okay-“

“Tim! Tim are you okay-what is going on here? Why is Jason hugging you?” Dick asked, nearly tripping over his own feet as he came to a stop out of sheer surprise at the whole situation.

Tim did his best to turn in Jason’s hold so that he was facing Dick, not that Jason was helping by keeping a vice-like grip on him.

“I’m fine. Some things just need to be figured out since I appeared in the past.”

“Are you-are you sure?” he asked, obviously unsure of what to do.

“I’m sure, Dick. Do me a favor and let everyone know that I’m fine and there’s nothing to worry about while we figure this out?” Tim asked.

“Uh…sure,” he said, making no move to leave, choosing instead to continue to stare.

Tim huffed a breath. “Dick, that kind of means leaving us alone to go and talk to them.”

“Yeah. Are you sure you’re-“

“I’m fine, Dick. I’m pretty sure the only thing that I have to worry about right now is being hugged to death and as far as I know, no one has ever died from such a thing.”

“Okay,” Dick said slowly taking a few steps backwards.

“Go, Dick.”

Finally, finally, he turned and leapt off the building to head back in the direction that he came in.

“Damn overprotective,” Tim muttered under his breath. He turned his attention back to Jason who was still holding him up against his chest and had his head buried in his shoulder. He was shocked when he felt Jason shaking against him. “Jason?”

Jason whined and curled in on him further.

Tim sighed and patted his arm with one of his gauntleted hands. “Come on. We should get inside. We have some things to talk about. My apartment’s not too far from here and I think I might have some clothes that just might fit you if you wanted to grab a shower or something.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.

Tim gave his arm a pat again before trying to pull out of the embrace. Jason was reluctant to let him go, but conceded and let space come in between them. Tim stood and did his best to re-adhere his domino, glad that they didn’t have far to go, because it was definitely not going to stay on for long now that the spirit gum had been pulled apart. He waited as Jason put his helmet back on before pulling out his grapple gun and heading towards the edge of the roof.

Jason stayed close to him as they made their way across rooftops and past mostly deserted streets. He was relieved when they made it to the roof of his apartment complex and could sneak down the fire escape to his place. He disabled the security on his windows quickly and slipped inside, Jason right behind him. He reset his security and pulled off his domino that was barely holding on.

Jason had already taken off his helmet and was standing awkwardly in the middle of his living room. It was evident from his posture that he wanted to go to Tim again and make sure that he was really there.

“Do you want to grab a shower or something? I could go and hunt for a change of clothes that I’m pretty sure Dick left here at one point or another.”

“I’ll pass on the shower, but I wouldn’t mind changing,” Jason said, shifting from foot to foot.

Tim nodded. “I’ll be right back, then. You can have a seat if you want. Or get a drink. I think I have some food if you’re hungry. Just make yourself comfortable,” he said, stepping around him to head down the hall towards his room. He shut the door behind him and took a deep breath before undoing the latches of his cap and tossing it to the side so it was out of the way.

He already knew that the night was going to be a long one and that he was going to have to get a pot of coffee going as soon as he got changed. He stripped out of his uniform quickly and pulled on a pair of sweats and a loose shirt. He pulled open the doors to his closet and dug through the clothes that had been piled on the shelves. Most of what was there were old things that he didn’t wear anymore or didn’t fit but he was too lazy to get rid of.

Just when he was about to give up on finding anything that might fit Jason, he alighted on a larger pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He gathered them in his arms and kicked the doors of his closet shut before heading back out of his room and down the hall. He was surprised to find Jason in his kitchen fiddling with his coffee pot.

“Sorry it took so long. These were buried at the back of my closet, but I think they might fit you if you want to go get changed,” Tim said, holding out the clothing.

Jason turned to him. “Thanks,” he said, taking the clothes. “I was just trying to make some coffee, but I’m not familiar with your high-tech coffee machine.” His smile was a little strained.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it going. Did you want a cup?” Tim asked, looking over his shoulder at where Jason had stepped past him.

He saw Jason blush and rub the back of his neck. “No, I don’t much like coffee. I just remembered that you did and thought you might like some…” he trailed off awkwardly and cleared his throat before hurrying off.

Tim smiled and pressed the button to start the coffee machine. He was surprised that Jason would’ve remembered that. It really showed that he wasn’t as bad as everyone though. Despite everything that he’d been through, he was still Jason.

He’d just finished fixing his coffee when Jason returned. The sweats were a little snug and didn’t quite reach his ankles, but the hoodie was thankfully a larger size and fit him perfectly. Tim walked over to the table, Jason following him. He took a seat, curling one of his legs underneath and took a sip of his coffee, sighing happily as warmth bloomed inside of him from the drink.

“Have a seat.”

Rather than sit across from him, Jason took the seat at the head of the table so they were sitting adjacent to each other. Tim did his best to hide the smile behind his mug, but knew that it wasn’t entirely working when Jason sent him a weak glare.

“Okay. Okay.” Tim set his mug down and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t really know how to handle this, honestly. You still died, that much is obvious…”

“Yeah. The Joker.”

Tim nodded. “What happened after I left? I guess the best place is to start there.”

“B was a little different. He seemed a little more paranoid about things when we were on patrol, but he also tried to spend more time with me. I didn’t exactly help because I was at that stupid part of my teenage years where I wanted the attention, but I also thought that I was better than that and didn’t need it.”

Tim nodded. “What else?”

“The first few days were rough,” Jason said quietly. “After you were gone. I had my broken arm so I couldn’t patrol or do much, but there were still signs that you’d been there. I found the books that you’d been reading. It was harder to watch _Back to the Future_.”

Tim smiled. “Still got that crush on Michael J. Fox?” he teased.

Jason’s cheeks pinked as he glanced at Tim’s face and away. “Uh…no, actually I don’t.”

“And after you came back?”

“Like I said, I…didn’t know that it was you. I should’ve since I knew that you were a vigilante and that your name was Tim and I saw the pictures…but I didn’t. I still, uh, I still thought about you. A lot. The memories that I had of you helped to ground me when things got particularly bad. There were some days when I wanted to start looking for you, but I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of what you’d think of me. Of what I’d become. Of your reaction to my death when you told me that you didn’t like seeing me hurt.”

Tim sighed. “Oh, Jay…”

Jason made a garbled noise in the back of his throat before reaching for Tim and pulling him to him. Tim let himself be handled, knowing that he wasn’t going to be hurt. Jason set him sideways in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around him.

“I missed that. Missed the sound of that. Even when other people said it, it was never the same as when you did.”

Tim huffed a laugh and ran his fingers through Jason’s hair, his exhaustion deciding to make itself known despite the coffee that he’d had and the early hour. He sagged against Jason’s shoulder and let his eyes slide shut.

“You know…I pretty much just left that younger you behind, but it already feels so far away and so long ago. It’s almost unreal. That any of that actually happened and that this is happening. It would be such a pity if all of this was just some crazy dream.”

“Would you really be able to dream up something this crazy?” Jason asked, running one of his hands up and down Tim’s side.

Tim laughed. “Probably not. Unless I’m somehow in a caffeine-induced fever dream brought on by days without sleep and a lack of food.”

“You should take better care of yourself,” Jason murmured.

Tim felt sleep tugging at him. “I take fine care of myself.”

“Then why couldn’t I find anything remotely good for you in the cabinets or the fridge?”

“Shh,” Tim said weakly and pat Jason on the chest. He barely registered Jason sliding an arm underneath his legs and standing up with him in his arms. Tim curled into his warmth and let sleep pull him under.

~~~

Tim came back to wakefulness slowly, feeling sluggish. He blinked his eyes opened and pushed at the blankets that had been wrapped around him. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, confused by how bright the sunlight was behind his curtains. He sniffed a couple of times, smelling something cooking. It had to be one of his neighbors making breakfast or something, because there was no way that was coming from his own kitchen.

He stumbled out of bed and stretched his arms over his head as he walked through the hallway to the main room, freezing when he caught sight of Jason’s broad back in his kitchen. He was standing at his stove where the delicious smells were definitely coming from.

“You stayed?” Tim asked before he could stop himself.

Jason froze and he turned his head to look behind him, eyes not quite reaching Tim. “Sorry to intrude. I can leave if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I just didn’t think that you’d…stay…” Tim cleared his throat and walked forward. “What’s for…what’s for breakfast?”

“Bacon, eggs, and biscuits. I went to the store earlier while you were still asleep. I made coffee, too.”

Tim walked over to the full pot and pulled one of the clean mugs from the drain board next to the sink. He filled it quickly and peeked around to see what Jason was cooking.

“Looks good,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee and humming happily. “Coffee’s good, too. Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Jason poured the cooked eggs onto a plate and moved it over to the table with the bacon and biscuits. “Go ahead and eat while I get this cleaned up.”

“Don’t you want any?” Tim asked.

“No, I’m fine. Really, I-“

“Have breakfast with me,” Tim interrupted. “Eat breakfast with me like we used to.”

“Okay,” he sighed.

Tim sat down with his coffee and began to scoop eggs onto the plate that had been set at the table. Jason sat down across from him after pulling another plate and set of silverware out of the cabinets. Tim never thought that Jason could look awkward, but that was the only way Tim could describe his stiff posture and hunched shoulders. Tim took a sip of his coffee before picking up a piece of bacon to munch on.

“You can relax you know. It’s just me,” Tim said as he propped his cheek against his fist.

Jason sagged in his chair and stared at the plate in front of him. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess it’s just because it’s been so long and so much has happened and…”

“I know it’s a lot to take in. It’s an adjustment that I’m going to have to make, too, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad thing.”

“I don’t think that it’s a bad thing. I don’t want it to be a bad thing,” Jason said, voice picking up speed as he continued to talk. “I mean, I guess I should apologize for trying to kill you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I did and I’m sorry and I really don’t know where to go from here because I know what I want our relationship to be but I don’t know how to get there and I don’t even know if you want to be around me at all anymore because all I have are these memories of who I knew you as and you only know me as the little scrappy kid that went off and got himself killed and-“

“Jason,” Tim said gently, cutting him off. “Relax. I understand why you were angry and why you went after me. I’m not going to hold that against you because sometimes in this life we just have to let things go because moving on will be so much better. I’d rather be happy and enjoy myself than hold a grudge when I don’t even know how long I’ll be alive.”

“I never thought that this could be so hard,” Jason said, rubbing a hand against his forehead. “I thought about it a lot. What would happen if I ever met you again. I wanted to do so many things and now that I have the opportunity…I don’t know. It’s not as easy as all of those romantic comedies make it out to be.” Jason froze and his cheeks quickly reddened. “That is-I-uh-um…”

Tim chuckled and turned back to his breakfast. “Why don’t we just start with breakfast? You’ve already cooked all of this food and we both know that I probably won’t be able to eat it by myself. So eat something with me and then we can worry about everything else later.”

“Okay.” Jason finally picked up his fork and made a move to fill it with food. “You’re not in college yet right?”

“Nope. Last year of high school actually, but I’ve been helping out at WE for a few years now. I’m not even sure if I’m going to apply for university next year. I know that it’s expected, but I’m enjoying what I’m doing as Red Robin and WE will be keeping things pretty stable for me after I graduate. I might just end up putting it off for a few years and figure out if there’s a different career that I want to take.”

“If you were to go to college right away what do you think you’d study?”

Tim hummed. “Computer science maybe? I’ve always enjoyed working with computers and other technology. Did you ever think about university?”

“Not really when I was younger. I wasn’t to the point in high school where people were really talking about it yet. I never would’ve thought that I would’ve had the opportunity to go to college even after B took me in. And now it’s not exactly an option since I’m legally dead.”

“If you could go what would you study?”

Jason hunched his shoulders and poked at his food. “English, I guess. I always…well, you know.”

Tim smiled. “Yeah. Books. You could enroll under a fake name. Get a degree and then find a job outside of your night work.”

“Night work. You make it sound like something more is going on than just me shooting people.”

“It very well could be. I don’t know what you do in your free time.”

Jason frowned. “I don’t do that kind of thing, Tim.”

Tim was taken aback by how serious he sounded over the comments but nodded. “Right. Sorry. I didn’t meant to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

Jason shrugged and looked out the windows of his apartment. “I should probably get going. It’s already late as it is and I need to get back across town to my safehouse.”

“Right. Thanks for breakfast. The food’s delicious. I can handle the cleanup if you want to head out.”

Jason quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

“Hey, just because I might not be the best in the kitchen doesn’t mean I don’t know how to run a dishwasher so it does the work for me.”

Jason grinned as he slipped on his leather jacket. “I thought you had a secret.” He moved over to the window and pushed it open. “I’ll, uh, see you later?”

“Yeah. See you later, Jason.” Tim watched as he glanced back over at him before jumping out onto the fire escape. Instead of heading up like they usually did at night he moved down into the alley below. It wasn’t until he was long gone that Tim realized he wasn’t carrying his uniform with him and that it wasn’t anywhere in the apartment which meant Jason had gone back to his place and changed after Tim fell asleep and then came back.

Tim sighed and leaned back in his chair. Sometimes he wondered how his life could become so complicated, but he doubted his life had ever really been simple. He wasn’t exactly lucky like that.

~~

After he cleaned up the dishes that Jason had used to cook, he finally let himself sit at his computer and get back on track. He’d ended up being gone a good portion of a week and had missed several days of school and work at WE. Tim knew that Bruce probably called in for him and made his excuses which he was grateful for. He wasn’t looking forward to all of the missed work that he’d have to make up.

He knew that he should try and make it to school that day so he’d show up for more than one day that week, but he was already late and he felt like he had far too much to think about with the whole Jason situation. He knew that Jason had died, but Bruce had acted a little differently after he left. Jason had still come back angry and had gone after him until last night when he realized who he was. Tim wondered if Jason and Bruce would be able to repair their relationship this time around. It would obviously take some work, but he knew they could do it.

And then there was his relationship with Jason. It was true that he enjoyed spending time with him when he was in the past. They’d had a good relationship even if they’d only known each other for a couple of days. Jason still had an interest in him and didn’t want to hurt him. He acted like he still wanted the two of them to be friends, but they needed to navigate how that was going to work with, well, everything. And that’s why his brain was starting to hurt.

“Yeah, but what do I want?” Tim said with a sigh and closed his eyes.

He wanted to poke fun and spar and watch movies and read books. He wanted to have that little bit of time to himself that had become so rare. He wanted someone to laugh and smile with. He wanted someone who he could be himself with without having to worry about everything else.

“I guess that settles that, then.”

Tim pulled his computer into his lap and started looking over the case file for the scientist he’d been after when he got zapped into the past. Bruce made it sound like they’d taken care of him so he could finally organize everything and archive the damn thing.

~~

As sure as Tim had felt that morning when he realized what he’d wanted to do with Jason, it did nothing to help the nervous flutters that erupted in his stomach as he was suiting up for patrol. He didn’t even know if he was going to see Jason let along talk to him. He wished that he had a case that he needed to work on, but now that the scientist was taken care of he was left with nothing but his own patrol route. Knowing Gotham, it would still keep him pretty busy, but it would let him _think._ And that was the last thing he needed.

Because thinking would mean that he would start overthinking. And for Tim Drake, overthinking was practically disastrous.

He shot his grapple between buildings and swung to the other side, breaking into a run to try and clear his thoughts. He watched and listened as carefully as he always did even as his thoughts hovered on the edges of his focus, trying to draw his attention.

The night was turning into a busy one. It seemed almost as though there was something happening on each street. If it wasn’t a mugging, then it was a rape attempt, or a break-in. Tim wasn’t complaining about it though. It kept his thoughts away from things that he didn’t want to think about.

He landed back on the roof after calling in another pickup for the GCPD and rubbed at a smarting bruise on his side. If the hit had come any higher it might’ve caused a rather painful rib injury. He took a minute to catch his breath and let the cool night breeze dry the sweat that had collected on the back of his neck. He tensed when someone landed on the rooftop behind him.

Tim whirled, prepared to lash out if it was some sort of attacker, and nearly tripped over his own two feet when he saw Jason standing there.

“Uh…hi.” Tim mentally face-palmed for such an amazing greeting.

“Hi,” Jason said, taking a few hesitant steps forward. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by on your patrol.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I was just taking a breather. With all of the crime that’s happening tonight I’ve been kept pretty busy,” he said, relaxing.

Jason approached him slowly, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. “This might sound a little weird, but I wanted to ask you something…”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Well if you’re not too busy this weekend I was wondering if you wanted to do something. With me,” Jason turned his head to the side and Tim knew that if he wasn’t wearing his helmet he would see Jason steadfastly avoiding eye contact with him.

“What did you have in mind?”

Jason shrugged. “There’s this great little bookshop, actually…”

Tim tried to stop himself from smiling, but knew that he was failing terribly. “Sounds great. Want to grab some lunch after?”

“Uh…yeah. That would be great,” Jason said, not even trying to mask the surprise in his voice.

“Cool. I’d love to keep chatting, but I should probably get back to patrolling. You’re more than welcome to join me on my route, but I’m sure that you’ve got stuff keeping you busy in your territory,” Tim said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

Jason nodded. “Sure, I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“See you,” Tim called back before running across the building and jumping over to the next one. He hadn’t been expecting Jason to approach him so soon. Especially after how nervous he’d seemed that morning, but it was all a process for the two of them. They had things that needed to be worked through and some obstacles, too. Especially when it came to the rest of the family.

The talk had left him lighter though. And he was going to see Jason on Saturday. Hopefully those plans wouldn’t end disastrously. Until then he’d just have to focus on his work as Red Robin and all of the schoolwork that he’d need to get caught up on from the past week. Although if he was lucky, he could get by without having to make up any of it. He’d have to see how persuasive he could be with his teachers. They all liked him enough…

Tim shook his head and turned back to his patrol. He was just about to jump to the next building when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and found Bruce in the shadows.

“Batman,” he greeted. “Is there something that you need?”

“Red Hood has been around you for the past two days.”

Tim nodded. “He has. I think now that he knows it’s me…he’s been able to calm down a little bit.”

“He hasn’t hurt you?”

“No. Look Batman, if the two of you were to just talk I think that could help resolve a lot of the issues between the two of you. He’s probably still going to be angry, but I think he has some things to think about too. I don’t think that he needs to be cut off from us as he has been. Things are different. Things can _be_ different.”

Tim didn’t know when he’d become so invested in this. He guessed that it was sometime between knowing Jason on a more personal level when he was still Robin and meeting him again now. Things hadn’t been perfect in the past, but they’d been good. It hurt even more to see Bruce and Jason fighting and unwilling to be around each other.

“You’re seeing him again.”

Tim hesitated, but nodded. Bruce would find out anyway even if he tried to keep it from him. “We still have some things to talk about. Like I said, things can be different. It’s just up to us to make it so. Look, I should get back to patrol, I’ve waited around long enough and I don’t want to miss anything. I’ll see you later, Batman.”

He gave him one last look before jumping to the next roof as he’d been trying to do a moment ago. He let the wind clear his thoughts away for once and brought himself to a place where he didn’t have to think and didn’t have anything to think about. Things would come as they would and he could only hope that it would end up being the best outcome for everyone.

~~

Tim sighed as his eyes slid open on Saturday morning. The sun was already up and bright in the sky and he knew that he would need to get out of bed soon since he actually had somewhere to be for once. He’d had a busy day the night before, bringing home a backpack full of books and having to stay at WE late so that he could at least get an idea of everything that he needed to get caught up on.

He’d only managed to get out of a few assignments that had been given, but that reduced his workload somewhat. But he didn’t need to worry about that at the moment, because he had more pressing matters. Such as what he was going to wear when he hung out with Jason later. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was still early enough and the morning hadn’t gotten far past ten A.M.

He pushed himself out of bed and walked over to his closet. In all honesty, he probably didn’t need to put any effort into what he was wearing because Jason wouldn’t care. This whole situation was beyond strange. He wasn’t complaining exactly, it would just be helpful to have a guide as to how they were to proceed, a sort of _How to Get Along with a Guy Who Tried to Kill You, But After You Went Back in Time and Became Sort of Friends You Want to Keep That Friendship Going in the Future for Dummies._

Tim could write his own how-to guide and get it published. He’d most likely only sell two copies, if that: one to himself and one to Jason. Because how many people actually had this type of experience? He could count them all on one hand.

He lazily pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a red sweater to pull over his head. He padded into his bathroom and looked over himself in the mirror. The sweater was a little big, but it was warm and comfortable and he always enjoyed wearing it. Plus this way he wouldn’t have to carry a jacket with him and worry about having to keep track of that. He ran a hand through his hair and managed to get it to lay somewhat flat. It was an improvement over his bedhead, but still acceptable enough to go outside with.

He ducked back into him room to grab his phone before heading into the kitchen to make some coffee. As he waited for it to brew he looked through the notifications on his phone. He had a text from Dick asking if they could meet up for lunch soon now that he was back in the correct time and he froze while replying. He realized that he didn’t have Jason’s phone number and hadn’t thought to ask for it the night before. It was probably better they weren’t exchanging numbers in the field anyway.

Tim groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Well he knows where I live at least. I’ll just have to be ready for whenever he gets here,” he spoke into his hands. “Whatever, the least I can do for now is enjoy a cup of coffee and relax on the couch.” He pulled a clean mug from the cabinet and filled it quickly, taking a moment to let the warmth seep into his hands before he headed for the couch. He sunk into the cushions gratefully and took a sip, humming at the taste of his dark roast and the hints of hazelnut underneath the initial flavor.

He looked over his school books that he’d left spread out over the table the night before when he’d managed to get his work organized on some level, but hadn’t really started it. He leaned forward and set his mug down so that he had easier access to his books. Not knowing how much time that he had to kill, he figured he could get started on one of the various worksheets that had been thrown at him the day before.

He pulled his Calculus textbook towards him and the list of problems that needed to be completed. He grabbed the pencil that was dangerously close to falling off the table and his graphing calculator and got to work. Calculus rarely challenged him anymore, but it was the highest level of math that was offered at his school and it was what he was left taking since he had to have some form of math every year that he was there.

Soon enough, Tim’s paper was covered with various equations and problems. His handwriting was messy since he was going through the problems rather quickly, not needing to spend too much time on each one. He drew a quick circle around his last answer before closing his textbook and slipping the paper into his folder.

A knock on his window caught his attention and he turned to find Jason perched on his fire escape looking rather sheepish. Tim’s lips quirked as he stood from his spot and walked over to let him.

“You could’ve just used the front door you know,” Tim said as he stepped aside to let Jason climb inside.

“Yeah, that one’s sort of my bad, but I didn’t know what kind of security was in front and if I’d be able to get inside without the Justice League being called over.”

“I’m pretty sure that Bruce wouldn’t have let the Justice League come crash our afternoon. Or maybe he would. You know, I’m not sure what he would or wouldn’t do in this kind of situation,” Tim said, thoughtfully.

“Now you know why I climbed up the fire escape,” Jason said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“Let me grab my phone and my wallet and we can head out.”

“Out the window or the front door?” Jason called behind him as he ducked into his bedroom to retrieve his wallet.

“What the hell, let’s take the window,” Tim said with a smile as he slipped his wallet into his jeans’ pocket and picked up his phone from the table.

Jason returned his smile and held out his arm while bowing slightly. “After you.”

Tim rolled his eyes, but climbed out anyway. It took Jason only a minute to join him and after resetting his security, they climbed down the fire escape towards where Jason’s bike was waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason handed Tim a helmet to slip on his head before doing the same. He swung a leg over his bike and settled down in the seat before Tim climbed on behind him, wrapping his arms securely around Jason’s torso. It had been a long time since Tim had ridden on a bike with another person.

Jason peeled out of the alleyway and turned down the street, slipping into traffic easily. It was about as busy as could be expected on a Saturday afternoon in Gotham, but Jason weaved through the cars and traffic easily, making better progress then they would’ve in a car or taxi. Tim watched as the buildings whizzed by. They weren’t headed directly for the main shopping center, but remained on the fringes of it.

Jason slowed as they approached a sort of worn down building. It wasn’t crumbling, but was in obvious need of some repairs. The sign proclaiming it as a bookshop was faded and cracked in some places, paint having peeled off after years of exposure to the elements. Tim pulled off his helmet and handed it to Jason who stored the helmets under his seat. Once he was finished he turned to face Tim.

“I know it doesn’t look like much,” Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck, “but the owners are really great and they have a surprisingly wide selection of titles for such a small place.”

“Care to show me inside?” Tim asked with a smile.

“Sure,” Jason said and cleared his throat as a light dusting of pink rose to his cheeks. He stepped forward and pushed open the door, causing the bell to jingle at their presence. Tim followed in behind Jason and felt his mouth drop open when he was met with shelves and shelves of books.

“Wow,” he breathed, looking around in awe. He turned to Jason. “This is incredible! How come everyone doesn’t know about it?”

“It’s out of the way and not many people care too much for local bookshops since they’re less likely to carry all the titles that they want,” a voice spoke up from behind Jason.

Tim stepped around Jason and found an elderly woman standing behind them. She was stooped over and supporting herself with a cane, but she had kind eyes and a welcoming smile.

“Welcome to my store,” she greeted Tim. “I see Jason has finally decided to share his little secret with someone else.”

Jason shifted next to him and Tim smiled at the owner. “And I’m glad he did too. Your store is incredible.”

“Feel free to look around as long as you like. If you have any questions I’ll be happy to answer them, but I’m sure that Jason will be able to answer anything for you. He’s around enough that he practically lives here anyway. May your journey through the shelves be prosperous.” She turned slowly and walked back towards the register.

Tim looked up at Jason and quirked an eyebrow. He cleared his throat. “Come on. It may look small, but there are probably over a thousand books wedged in these shelves.”

Jason moved forward with the familiarity of someone who’d been to the shop more than a few times. Tim hung back as he walked through the shelves, looking at the various books stuffed together and the careful labelling that denoted the different subjects. The lighting was a little dim, but the place felt welcoming, the dark wood giving off a pleasant smell that almost seemed to mimic the nature or reading and delving into the pages of different histories. He lifted his hand and trailed it along the book spines, smiling at the familiar feel.

Tim paused and looked ahead to where Jason was running his finger over the titles. Every now and then he’d stop and pull a book from the shelf to read the back cover. Sometimes he’d have a small smile on his face and nod to himself and other times he’d frown as though in deep thought. Tim thought that he never seemed to hate what he was looking at even if it wasn’t something that he wanted to read. He just enjoyed being around books.

He walked forward slowly as Jason pulled down a new title and began to read the back cover. “Find anything good?” he asked.

Jason started and looked down at him almost as though he’d forgotten he was there. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. If you like sci-fi these two look pretty good. There are some thrillers. A mystery over here…” he said pointing at the various titles.

Tim reached for the mystery and pulled it from the shelf.

“I should’ve known that you’d go for that one,” Jason said with a snort.

Tim grinned. “Would you expect anything else?” he asked and started reading the synopsis.

“I guess I shouldn’t, should I,” Jason answered quietly.

Tim held the book firmly between his hands, trying not to squeeze it. He could feel Jason’s warmth next to him and was aware that he was holding a book in his hands but wasn’t reading it. He was watching him instead. Tim bit his lip and forced himself to focus on the synopsis. It still took him twice as long to make it through then it should have.

After he was finished reading he flipped through a few pages, not really reading, but giving himself a minute. He held the book up and smiled at Jason. “I think I’ll get this one.”

“I think there’s a nook around here if you wanted to sit down and read. Or you could look around some more while I keep going through these,” Jason said, turning back to the book in his hand.

“I think I’ll have a look around. There’s so much of this store that I haven’t seen yet. I feel like there are more mysteries then just what’s captured between the covers of these books,” he said brushing past Jason to continue down the aisle between the stacks. Tim clutched his book to his chest as he looked around him. He shivered as he remembered Jason’s warmth. There was nothing off-putting about the bookstore, but being alone just made him realize how lonely it could get if there wasn’t anyone else around.

“You are a curious one.”

Tim froze and looked over to find the owner standing between the shelves watching him.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

She walked forward easily. Her cane barely making a sound on the wooden flooring. She peered up at Tim with bright and inquisitive eyes. “I said that you’re a curious one.”

“I hardly think-“

“Oh but you are.” Tim swallowed thickly. “You are the one who’s captivated Jason’s attention for so long. You have driven him to spend countless hours thinking about more than just what types of books you’d like to read. And now you are here. You’ve finally arrived in my bookshop. And not on your own. You’ve come with him.

“I can tell that you appreciate books. I doubt that you would have agreed to come here if you didn’t enjoy reading on some level, but you don’t have quite the level of love that Jason does when it comes to the pastime. But it’s dear to him and he’s not the type of person that would bare something that’s so close to his heart so easily. I’m not entirely sure how you feel about him and I’m sure that you’re not either. Once you do realize, do not hesitate to act on your feelings. Both of you will be all the better for it.”

Tim moved his jaw soundlessly, trying to come up with some response to what she’d just told him as the silence stretched on. As he continued to flounder, her smile widened. She gave him a wink before turning around and soundlessly moving back through the stacks to where he assumed the register was located.

He glanced back down the aisle from where he’d come from. He hadn’t realized how far he’d gotten, but Jason was still standing at the shelf, hunched over a book. Even from there, Tim could see the small smile that he wore. Tim’s gaze dropped to the book that he’d been cradling in his own arms and ran his fingers over the cover.

She’d been right when she said that he didn’t hold the same love for books as Jason did. But the way she pointed out that bringing him here was a big deal, he honestly couldn’t find it in him to argue with that. From what he’d glimpsed of Jason in the Manor, he spent his time reading. Sometimes in the library, and sometimes in hiding places in the Cave or other areas of the house.

Tim wondered if reading helped to ground him when he came back from the pit. He wondered if that was how he began to deal with his anger and how he calmed down. Even though he’d spent several wonderful days in the past with Jason when he was younger, he still realized that he didn’t know much about him. He didn’t know about some of the things that had happened to him or how he’d changed.

But what feelings was the owner of the shop seeing exactly?

He approached Jason slowly, watching him as his eyes kept scanning the back cover and only glanced up when Tim had come to stand right next to him. He still had this small smile on his lips when he looked at Tim. His eyes were shining with the promise of an adventure or love story or something else that was explored within the pages of the book that he was holding.

Tim’s stomach flipped and he swallowed, mouth going suddenly dry at the pure emotion and joy that he saw there.

“Uh…” he began eloquently. “Find something that you like?” he asked quickly, nodding towards the book in his hands.

Jason’s eyes glanced down to what he was holding in his hands. He turned it over and looked over the cover again. The spine of the book was a deep red and the front and back covers were a dark turquoise.

“Yeah actually. I think that I’ll get this one. I haven’t seen it around before and I’m a little surprised that I haven’t read it. Are you ready to go or did you want to look around some more?”

“I think I’ve got everything that I need,” Tim answered, holding up the detective novel that Jason had pointed out earlier. “This is a nice place though. I’d like to come back sometime. If I ever manage to get through this book that is,” he added as Jason led the way through the shelves to the register where the owner was waiting for them.

As Tim set his book down on the counter she gave him a knowing look. Jason added his to the counter and she announced the total without even using a calculator. Jason already had his wallet out before Tim could pull out his own.

“Jason you really don’t-“

“I want to,” he said, turning back to Tim and handing him his book. “Let me. Please.”

Tim looked between the book in his hands and Jason who was watching him earnestly. He nodded. Jason grinned. Teeth and eyes shining brighter than the sun. Tim just ducked his head and headed towards the door. Jason cheerily called a few parting words to the owner who watched them walk back out through the door.

The light outside was practically blinding compared to the muted atmosphere of the store.

“Any place in particular that you’d like to go eat?” Jason asked as he lifted the seat and pulled their helmets out. He set his book inside the now empty space and held out a helmet to Tim. “Trade ya.”

He swapped his book out for a helmet and thought it over. “I’m really fine with anything. Pizza sounds good though,” he said as he pulled the helmet over his head.

“Got a specific place in mind?” Jason asked as he latched the seat closed and swung a leg over his bike.

“Nope,” Tim said, climbing on behind him.

Jason slipped his own helmet on and shoved the keys into the ignition. Tim wrapped his arms around his waist as he revved the bike and took off down the street. The traffic had only cleared up a little bit, not that it slowed their progress across Gotham. And not that they ended up going very far either.

Jason turned down a side-street and came to a stop in front of a small pizzeria. Tim pulled off his helmet and climbed off the bike.

“You sure have a thing for stores that are hidden from the public eye,” he commented.

Jason shrugged, taking Tim’s helmet and fitting both of them expertly underneath the seat of his bike. “I like local places. I find them to be more honest and worthwhile.”

Tim smiled and walked towards the entrance while Jason followed behind him. He pulled open the door, sort of expecting a similar look to the bookstore, but was surprised to find a widespread eatery inside. Tables were scattered around the main floor and booths lined the walls. All of them had red and white checkered table cloths.

“Have a seat wherever you like,” a server told them as she walked towards one of the few occupied tables.

“Slow afternoon,” Jason commented as Tim led the way to a booth in the corner.

“How often do you come here exactly?” he asked as he slid into the booth and plucked one of the menus from the stand on the table.

“Whenever I’m in the mood for pizza,” Jason responded, copying Tim.

“And how often does the mood strike you?” Tim asked with a grin.

“Far too often. Good thing I have a certain hobby that keeps me active or I would’ve gained a lot of weight by now.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Can I start the two of you with something to drink?” the server who’d directed them earlier asked, stepping up to the side of their table.

“I’ll take a coke,” Jason said with a smile. “It seems like today’s pretty slow, Jane.”

She shrugged. “Yeah. But it gets like this every now and then. Yesterday was super busy though. Dad was both pleased and incredibly stressed by the influx of customers. What can I get for you?” she asked, turning to Tim.

“Diet coke, please.”

She nodded. “But don’t worry, Jay. We’ll always have a table for you. After all, you’ve been a loyal customer since pretty much the beginning and it’s the least we can do for you and your boyfriend,” she said before turning and walking away.

Tim’s head snapped up at what she said and he felt his face heat up. A glance in Jason’s direction told him that he was having the same reaction with his pink cheeks and he was biting his lip. Tim shifted in his seat and turned back to the menu, trying to immerse himself in the array of pizza options to avoid latching on to that thought.

“So what would you recommend? Or is everything good?” Tim asked after clearing his throat.

“All of their food is great. The calzones are excellent. They always put in the perfect balance of cheese and sauce. If you’re going for something a little more, the deep dish pizza is amazing. Especially if you’re getting a mix of veggies and pepperoni. The only thing that I wish they had that they don’t is cheese stuffed crust. Only because I know that they would do it excellently.”

“Have you tried requesting it?” Tim joked, relieved that their usual banter and light friendly atmosphere was returning.

“For years. Every time I come in, I always ask them about it, but still haven’t been successful. I’m in the mood for deep dish if you feel like splitting one. They only come in a larger size because of how much goes into making them.”

Tim nodded. “That actually sounds really great. Meat and veggies?”

“I like the way you think.”

“Please, you only like the way I think because it’s what you suggested. The way I think right now is only a reflection of the way you think.”

“Touché.”

“Here we are,” their server said, breaking in with their drinks. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. Have you decided?” she asked looking between Jason and Tim.

“Yeah we’ll have a meat and veggie deep dish pizza,” Jason said, slipping the menu back into the table stand. “And has any progress been made on getting that cheese stuffed crust in?” he asked, sending a sly wink in Tim’s direction.

She smirked at Jason. “Not yet, but I’ll talk to my dad. Again. But that’s one meat and veggie deep dish for the lovely couple. If you need anything else, just holler,” she said before walking off.

Jason raised his hand to protest, but she’d already disappeared. He sagged back against the booth. “I guess she’s not going to give us a chance to correct her assumptions.”

Tim shrugged. “Can’t be helped, I guess,” he said, replacing his menu as Jason had done.

“Does it bother you?” Jason asked. “That she’s assuming that we’re…you know…”

“That we’re together?” Tim asked. He leaned back and thought it over. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.”

Something in Jason’s eyes flashed that Tim didn’t recognize.

“I don’t have an issue with her assuming things. It’s really not a problem since I’m gay so yeah. I guess I just never would’ve considered…” Tim trailed off. He cleared his throat busied himself with pulling his drink to him and opening his straw. He used the straw to stir his drink. Not that it was really necessary, but it gave him something to do with himself to avoid looking up at Jason. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to see there. And he wasn’t sure how he would feel about whatever he would find there. And now he wasn’t making any sense.

“Yeah…” Jason said quietly.

Tim glanced up and saw Jason reaching for his own drink. He canted his eyes to the side and looked at the black floor of the pizzeria.

“Here we are!” their server said, coming back to their table. “One meat and veggie deep dish pizza! Can I get you boys anything else or are you fine with this for now?”

Tim looked up and gave her a kind smile. The pizza really did look delicious.

“We’re fine with this for now,” Jason said, answering her question.

“Great! Just give a shout if you need anything,” she said, turning around and starting her round on the dining room.

Jason and Tim reached for the pizza at the same time and pulled slices from opposite ends. Tim slid one of the plates that had been placed down with the tray towards himself while Jason preferred to bite straight into his slice.

“Agh, hot hot hot,” Jason said, dropping his slice onto a plate and grabbing his soda to chug down a good portion of it.

Tim laughed. He really couldn’t help it. The sight of Jason Todd, the fearsome Red Hood burning his tongue on a slice of pizza was too much to handle. He clutched at his stomach, nearly bending in half as he shook with laughter.

“Oh that’s too much. My stomach hurts. I’m never going to get over that. Oh, thanks for that Jason, really,” Tim said, wiping away a tear that had gotten loose.

When he looked back up he found Jason watching him and smiling.

“I’m glad that you find my pain amusing,” Jason said, propping his chin in his palm.

“I just can’t believe that you managed to burn your tongue on a slice of pizza. Is that a regular thing? Or were you just a bit too excited today?” Tim asked, still grinning.

“I guess that’s something that you’re just going to have to find out.”

“Are you offering to take me out for pizza again?” Tim asked, picking up his slice of pizza and carefully taking a bite. It was manageable, but just barely. If he wasn’t careful, he would’ve burned himself like Jason had.

“I suppose I am. Does that mean you’ll accept? This won’t be just a onetime thing?” Jason said, eyes downcast and fidgeting with his pizza.

“Well if there’s pizza involved…” Tim joked.

“Hey!” Jason protested, looking up at him. “You’d really only do it for the food? I’m hurt,” he said, pouting.

Tim snickered. “Shut up. It’s more than just the pizza. This has been nice. Going to that bookstore and coming here. It’s given me a bit of an insight in what you do in your free time. The little places around Gotham where you like to hang out and hide from everyone else. Still hiding and reading books.”

“Not hiding. No one comes looking for me. There’s a difference.”

“That’s not true,” Tim argued.

“Oh really?” Jason asked.

“I’ll come looking for you. I came looking for you. Back then,” he said quietly.

“You did. Do you remember that time we marathoned _Back to the Future_?”

Tim chuckled. “How could I forget? Those movies were the whole reason I was able to get back, anyway.”

“That’s true. But after I mean. You carried me to my room.”

Tim’s brow furrowed. “How do you know that? You were asleep.”

“I wasn’t actually. I was awake the whole time. I thought that if you knew that I was awake that would make it come to an end sooner. I didn’t want it to end. It was our last night together. I didn’t want you to have to leave.”

Tim sagged against the back of the booth. “I didn’t want to leave either. For a few days I’d gotten to just be myself. I didn’t have to worry about school, or work, or what I do after hours.”

The edges of Jason’s lips quirked.

“But I knew that I couldn’t stay. I had to come back. Had to come back to all of those responsibilities…”

Jason sighed and leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. “But you don’t have to do that alone, Tim. You shouldn’t have to. You can still do the things that make you who you are. You can still read books and watch movies and eat pizza and do all of those other things that you want to do.”

Tim tried to smile, he wasn’t sure how successful he was, but if Jason’s raised eyebrow was anything to go by he was failing horribly.

“I’m not going to let you fall back into that,” he said, reaching for one of the last slices of pizza.

“Oh really?” Tim asked, shoving a bite of crust into his mouth and chewing.

“Really. I’m going to make sure of it. I’m going to bring you pizza and force you to have fun on the weekends. I’m going to make you watch bad movies and eat popcorn and ice cream and whatever else it is that you won’t let yourself do.” He punctuated his statement by taking a bite of his food.

Tim grabbed the last slice. “That’s a pretty intense goal.”

“Tim, you know me. When do I ever do things halfway?”

“I guess you don’t,” he conceded.

“It looks the two of you are all done. Is there anything else that I can get you?” their server asked, popping up out of nowhere.

“Just the check, please,” Jason said around a mouthful of food.

“Absolutely,” she said, flashing a smile and disappearing.

“How does she do that?” Tim asked.

“Do what?”

“Just show up like that?”

Jason shrugged. “The same way B disappears when people aren’t looking.”

Tim opened his mouth to retort, before pausing as he thought over what Jason said.

Jason nodded. “Right?”

“And here you are,” she said, popping back up again, setting the bill on the table before disappearing.

“I…” Tim started.

“Becomes more real every time that it happens,” Jason said, pulling out his wallet and rifling through for some bills.

“How much?” Tim asked.

“Don’t worry, I got it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I brought you out. It’s only fair,” He said, leaving the bills on the table and standing from the booth.

“But you already paid for my book, too,” Tim protested, scrambling after him.

“I guess I just wanted to do something nice,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tim watched as a light flush crawled up his neck. “Okay,” he said quietly, his brain quickly becoming distracted by thinking over everything that happened that day.

He followed Jason out of the restaurant and back towards the bike, mutely taking the helmet from him and climbing on behind him. The sounds of Gotham’s traffic fell away as Tim continued to think.

He knew that Jason had seemed to get a little defensive when they were talking about being called boyfriends in the diner. He hadn’t seemed bothered by it, even though it took Tim by surprise. He wondered how often he went there and what he talked to the workers about since they knew each other so well. Jason had insisted on paying for the pizza and his book from the store even though Tim could have paid for that himself.

The woman in the bookstore had talked to him about something having to do with feelings. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was saying, but she seemed to have an excellent sense of intuition and obviously knew Jason well. He talked to him about the fact that he was awake when Tim had carried him to his bed. That meant that he knew that Tim had brushed his hair back.

Jason had kept Tim in mind after he came back. Had used the memories of himself to ground him and had freaked when he found out he’d been hurting him. He’d pulled him into his lap the night before to reassure himself that Tim was okay. He’d carried him to bed and cooked him breakfast and had gotten embarrassed on more than one occasion when it came to Tim.

He insisted that he wasn’t going to let Tim fall back into his life. He wasn’t going to let him lose himself to his work and lose the parts of himself that Jason had helped to bring back.

Tim thought about the way that Jason looked at him. Thought about how Jason had said that he didn’t have a crush on Michael J. Fox anymore because there was someone else.

Tim’s heartrate slowly beat faster as he continued to think.

“Tim?” Jason’s voice broke through his thoughts and he realized that they were back at his apartment building.

“Sorry,” he said, pulling his arms from around Jason. “I just got lost in thought for a minute there. I didn’t realize that we were back.” He pushed himself off the bike and pulled the helmet from his head. “Here’s your helmet. I should get going I guess.”

“Wait, Tim,” Jason said, stopping him.

“Yeah? What is it?”

Jason pulled his own helmet off and he was grinning. “You forgot your book.”

Tim returned his grin. “Oh, right.” He watched as Jason pushed himself from the bike and pulled the seat open. He balanced both of the helmets in his hand while he pulled Tim’s book from inside. Tim took it from him and clutched it to his chest, watching as Jason replaced the helmet he’d been wearing and shut the seat.

Jason stared at his helmet as he fiddled with it in his hands. “There’s something else that I wanted to ask you.”

Tim tightened his grip on his book. “Oh?” he asked.

“Yeah,” he let out in a whoosh of air. “Do you think…I mean would it be okay…could we exchange numbers? You don’t have to obviously, but I thought if you wanted to hang out again, it would be easier than me just showing up on your fire escape.” He glanced at him. “I understand if you think it’s stupid. We don’t have to-“

“Jay,” he said, gently cutting him off. “It’s fine. I can give you my phone number if you really want it.”

“Okay. Great! Yeah,” Jason said, hastily pulling his phone from his pocket. He unlocked it before handing it over to Tim who created a new contact for himself quickly before handing it back.

“Just send me a text whenever you get the chance.”

“Yeah, great,” Jason said, shoving the phone back in his pocket. They stood there in silence for a moment.

“I should probably get going,” Tim said, backing up a few steps towards the sidewalk “I’ve got homework to catch up on and everything.”

Jason nodded and jammed his helmet back on his head. “Don’t work too hard,” he said, voice muffled.

Tim stepped to the side and let Jason turn his bike before he shot out of the alley and moved down the street. Tim let out a breath and sagged against the side of his building. He gave himself a mental count of ten to stay there before he headed back to the sidewalk and walked through the doors to his building.

He sat down heavily on his couch when he got inside and set his book next to him. He didn’t want to think about all of the work that he needed to do and didn’t think that he was going to be able to focus considering his attention was currently on someone else now that he’d come to a realization. He just didn’t know what to do about the new information that he’d gotten.

Information. He sounded like he was working on another case. It wasn’t information. It was an understanding about someone’s feelings.

Tim reached for the book next to him and pulled it as he curled up on his side on the cushions. He ran his fingers over the cover and let it fall forward so he could inhale the traces of the smell of the bookshop. It was comforting. He opened to the first page and started to read.

~~

The insistent sound of something vibrating broke through the haze of Tim’s mind. He blinked his eyes open and found that he was still laying on his couch after he’d settled down that afternoon. He sluggishly pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed at his eyes to clear the sleep from them. One look out the window told him that it was late evening, but the sun hadn’t gone down yet so he wasn’t late for patrol.

His phone vibrated and he reached for it, looking over the messages that he’d been swarmed with while he was sleeping. The first one was a text from Jason giving him his number. And the other twelve…were all from Dick. He sighed, but unlocked his phone to read over them.

Dick wanted to know if everything was okay after last night and Babs had told him that she’d seen him and Jason together earlier that day. And Dick wanted details. Of course he wanted details. Bruce probably wanted an explanation too, but since Dick was asking, he’d wait to get the information from him.

_Tim: I’m fine, Dick, really. Nothing happened. We talked._

Before he could even switch over to Jason’s message to respond to him, Dick had already texted back.

_Dick: And went out today? I thought you were just going to talk the other night????_

_Tim: We did talk. And then we decided to hang out today. Why’s that such a big deal?_

_Dick: Maybe because he tried to kill you more than one time? I don’t want you getting hurt Tim._

_Tim: I’m not going to get hurt. Maybe you should try talking to him yourself. You might actually understand what I’m saying then. He’s not going to do anything to hurt me. We’re sort of friends, I guess._

_Dick: How can you be sort of friends? Am I dreaming? This can’t be real._

Tim felt a stab of annoyance at that. He didn’t understand what was so wrong with him and Jason wanting to hang out. If this was how they were all reacting to the two of them being friends, he didn’t know how they were going to handle what he knew about Jason.

_Tim: It’s real. And it happened because I got zapped back in time. I don’t care if you can’t decide if it’s real or not. It’s happening and you need to understand that._

_Dick: What do you mean?_

_Dick: Tim?_

_Dick: TIM???_

He ignored the flood of messages that started coming in. He wasn’t going to sit there and keep explaining things and try to get him to understand. It was his life and he was going to live it how he wanted. And if everyone else had a problem with that, then they could deal with it themselves.

_Unknown number: Hey, Tim. It’s Jason._

Tim saved the contact in his phone before sending back a reply.

_Tim: Thanks. Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I kind of fell asleep on the couch._

He set his phone aside and rubbed at his eyes. He looked over the rest of his schoolwork and sighed. The least that he could do was get more of that done. It would leave him with less work the next day and since he slept the afternoon away, he needed to get something done before patrol.

As he was reorganizing his work, his phone vibrated again. He thought that it was just going to be another message from Dick, but found that it was Jason instead.

_Jason: It’s no problem. I didn’t think that you were that tired when I dropped you off._

_Tim: I don’t even remember falling asleep. I was reading my new book and the next thing I knew, I was being woken up by my phone vibrating on the coffee table._

_Jason: Did you have an alarm set or something?_

_Tim: No, it was just Dick texting me. I finally got him to leave me alone._

_Jason: Now that you’re done sleeping, what are you doing now?_

_Tim: Homework probably. I need to get this stuff done so that I don’t have to deal with it anymore. I’ve got a bit finished already so it shouldn’t be a problem._

_Tim: I wouldn’t mind a pizza though. That would be a good motivation._

_Jason: Is this your way of trying to rope me into bringing you pizza?_

Tim bit his lip and hesitated before he began to type.

_Tim: Only if you want to. We did just have pizza this afternoon. But you can never have too much pizza._

_Jason: This is true. You should get some work done first though. Unless my presence wouldn’t be a distraction at all. You’d just pass me up for the pizza._

Tim laughed and tapped his phone against his chin.

_Tim: How about this: I get my work done now and if I’m productive enough, we can share a pizza during patrol. It’ll give us a break and it’ll give us food._

_Jason: Sounds fantastic. I’ll leave you alone now, but don’t work too hard!_

Tim tossed his phone to the side and pulled his next round of worksheets and books towards him. It was a while before he realized that he was smiling and had been since Jason had texted him back.

~~

Tim skidded to a stop on top of the gravel rooftop. He’d only made it a couple of streets over from his apartment.

“Batman. Is something wrong?”

“Nightwing brought something to my attention that he’s concerned about.”

Tim furrowed his brow and was about to say that he didn’t know what he was talking about, before he thought back to that afternoon and groaned.

“Please tell me that he didn’t send you over here to talk to me about Red Hood. Really, there’s nothing that happened. We just went out for the afternoon. I wasn’t held hostage, I wasn’t threatened. Nothing bad happened.”

“He tried to kill you,” Bruce pointed out.

“He did and he apologized. He wants to make up for that.”

“And you’re not worried that he might try to do something again?”

“No.” Tim sighed. “Look, Batman, I think that you should talk to him. The two of you have a lot of stuff that needs to be worked through and hasn’t been addressed. It would benefit you both to actually have a conversation. His death hurt. It was painful. I know that you didn’t want it to happen, but there was nothing that could’ve prevented it. I need to go. I have a lot of ground to cover and I don’t want to miss anymore nights than I already have this past week.”

He turned his back on Bruce and grappled to the buildings on the other side of the street. It wasn’t the route he usually took, but he would deal with it if it meant that he got to be alone. Trying to talk some sense into Bruce was not high on his priority list at the moment. He had more important things to do.

Or thought he did, until he was stopped yet again two streets over.

“Can you let go of me? Please?” Tim asked even as Dick tightened his hold on him.

“I’m just glad that you’re okay.”

“Why can’t all of you just accept that nothing bad is going to happen to me? I’m fine. Hood’s not going to do anything to hurt me so can you let it go?”

Dick set him back on his feet gently and gripped his shoulders. “We just want to keep you safe.”

“I know and I understand. But Hood isn’t going to hurt me. If you would just talk to him you would know that.”

Tim stepped backwards out of Dick’s hold, he looked like he wanted to reach out again but Tim took a few more steps back to put distance in between them. “I’m not going to keep arguing about this. You and everyone else can be worried all you want, but leave me out of it. I don’t want to keep fighting to prove this to you if you refuse to see it. I’ll talk to you later, I need to get back to patrol and I would appreciate it if you could respect that.”

He didn’t wait for Dick’s acknowledgement. He just spun around and took off across the rooftops. He was beyond irritated and he hated that he was feeling that way considering how great the day had been going earlier when he’d gotten to spend it with Jason. Conversation came so easy between them. Nothing else mattered and the rest of the world and his responsibilities just fell away.

Tim didn’t want his family to ruin this for him. He didn’t want the friendship that he had with Jason to be tainted because they couldn’t talk to each other and look at what was right in front of them. His irritation fueled his fighting and made him more aggressive, but he had a lot of anger that needed to get pushed out.

When he returned to the rooftop he nearly growled at the sight of someone else. “What do you want now?” he snapped.

“Red?”

Tim felt all of his tension and weariness fade away at the sound of Jason’s voice.

“Oh, Hood. Thank god, it’s you.”

He stepped out of the shadows and walked towards him. “Yeah, is everything okay?”

“Just people being stupid.”

“Well, I can leave you alone if you don’t want to be around anyone right now.”

“No. Stay, please. Hopefully it’ll keep everyone else away.”

“Is that all I’m good for? I’m hurt,” he mock-gasped, placing a hand on his chest.

Tim chuckled and walked forward. “Nah, you’re good for other things, too. This is just the plus right now because I don’t want to have to listen to another person’s objections.”

Jason slung an arm around Tim’s shoulders and Tim sagged against his side. “What are they so against?”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s their problem, not mine.”

“I like the selfishness. It’s a good look for you.”

“What do you mean?” Tim asked, looking up at him from where he was tucked under his arm.

“I mean, you have so many things to worry about with school and work and this, you should let yourself be selfish more often.”

“This is good enough. I do have a question for you though.”

“You do?”

“Yeah…do you ever think about talking to Batman? Maybe finally sitting down and having a conversation about everything that happened?”

“I thought we’d agreed that this was your time for being selfish?” Jason asked. He didn’t sound bothered by the question, but Tim felt him tense against him.

“Concede this one question for me. Do you?”

“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think anything will come out of it.”

Tim pulled away from Jason’s side so that he could face him. Jason seemed reluctant to let him go and Tim wasn’t sure if it was because he was dreading this conversation and was hoping to keep it from happening or because of the other reason. Or maybe it was both. He wasn’t concerned with that at the moment.

“I think it could be good for you though. Things are never going to be the way they were. It’s unrealistic to even think that would be possible, but maybe they can be better than they are now.”

“I thought you only wanted the one question?” Jason asked, crossing his arms.

“I can’t help the way my brain works. Once it latches onto something it’s hard to get it to let go. It’s just…if we’re going to be hanging out and spending more time together…I don’t want to see you fighting them or see them being so suspicious of you. So this is me being selfish because I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of all of that.”

Jason’s shoulders sagged. “Turning my own arguments against me. What am I going to do?”

“Accept it and move on, which is incidentally what I should be doing and get back to patrol. You’re welcome to join if you like,” Tim offered.

“Sure, lead the way.”

Tim enjoyed the feeling of the cool night air on his skin. He felt far more relaxed now that he had Jason with him. He figured that it would help to keep everyone else at bay so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more ridiculous conversations. 

Patrolling with Jason was easy. They moved together almost as though they’d been fighting with each other for years. Jason was always there covering him and he was able to do the same. Tim hadn’t felt such a strong partnership in a long time. He’d come close with the Titans, but this was better.

Time seemed nonexistent while they were fighting. They took down criminal after criminal. They stopped muggings and attempted rapes and even a few gangs. It was why Tim was so surprised when the sky started to lighten.

“Looks like it’s morning already,” Tim said, coming to a stop at the edge of a rooftop.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, standing next to him.

They weren’t close enough to be touching, but Tim could feel his body heat from where he was. He wanted to lean into it. Wanted Jason to wrap an arm around his shoulders and hold onto him like he’d promised he’d do all those years ago.

Instead, Tim stepped away with a sigh that was far too heavy to be anything innocent. “I should head home. I need to get some sleep and finish up the homework that I missed.”

“Don’t go falling asleep on the couch again. It’ll give you back problems.”

Tim laughed. “I’ll do my best not to. I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” Jason said quietly as Tim turned and ran back across the rooftops in the direction of his apartment.

He was turning in later than he usually did and he was further from his apartment than he usually got, but he couldn’t find himself to be bothered by it. He’d enjoyed his patrol once he met up with Jason. Things had gone quickly and easily and he’d had some fun along the way, too.

But it left him questioning what he should do now that he realized the meaning behind Jason’s behavior. He knew that he needed sleep, but he wasn’t sure if his brain was going to let him rest peacefully. It would want to think about it and break it down and figure out all of the little details that were there.

He sighed. The night had been long, but the coming day was probably going to be even longer.

~~

Tim blinked his eyes open blearily and turned to look at the clock that was perched on his bedside table. He’d only been asleep for an hour before his brain had decided to make his life hell. Why it thought it was a good idea to make him dream about his memories with Jason and what had just happened between them was beyond him.

He groaned and pulled himself from the bed, stumbling slightly when he got caught in the blankets. He ran a hand through his hair and shuffled to the bathroom. He looked over the dark circles underneath his eyes and sighed before rubbing his face to try and wake himself up which didn’t work as well as he wanted it to. He settled for brushing his teeth and hoped the mint would wake him up a bit.

He finished in the bathroom quickly and made his way to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. If he was going to be up this early and faced with more homework, then he was damn well going to fuel himself with caffeine until it was done. As he flipped the switch for his coffee machine and placed a mug underneath it while the water heated, he thought that he might even take a nap later that afternoon if he was still as tired as he was at that moment.

Tim greedily pulled his mug from underneath the coffeemaker when it was finished and took a sip, not even bothered by the temperature. He sighed and let his eyes slide shut, enjoying the warmth that the drink brought him. He always found it to be a comfort, no matter how big of a caffeine addict he really was.

He settled down on the couch and shoved everything that he’d already finished back into his backpack. It cleared up the coffee table nicely and made him feel like he had less to worry about. He grabbed his next set of work and took another sip of coffee before grabbing his phone from where he’d left it the night before. He was surprised to find that he already had a text from Jason and smiled when he opened to see what it was.

_Jason: Sweet dreams, Tim and good morning when you see this. Or if you’re reading this now, put the damn phone away and go to sleep!_

Tim chuckled and tapped out a reply before hitting send.

_Tim: Good morning to you, too. If you’re up yet. And no, I didn’t look at this last night and then wait to send a response this morning._

He set his phone to the side and started filling in the worksheets that he’d been assigned. It wasn’t until he took another sip of his coffee that he realized he’d been smiling since he read Jason’s text. Again. He stared down at the papers in front of him, looking over his neat handwriting. It was only neat because he wasn’t rushing, he knew. And Jason probably remembered that, too.

He tapped the end of his pencil against the table in thought. He couldn’t just be imagining things. He knew that Jason cared about him. He made it a point to apologize for what he did and he’d lost it when he found out that it as Tim. But Tim had never been very good with the whole feelings and relationship side of things. He was afraid of reading the situation wrong. What if Jason didn’t really like him that way and he just wanted to be friends?

Tim wanted to spend time with him and wanted to be friends, but if Jason did like him…

Would he want to be more than friends? Would he want to be in a relationship? And what would happen if dating each other was a complete disaster? If things got really bad he might not be able to fix it and then their relationship would deteriorate and he wouldn’t even have a friend anymore! What if Jason only thought he liked him because he had all those years to build up this image of who Tim was because he needed something to hold onto? What if he didn’t really like him at all?

The sound of his phone buzzing broke through Tim’s frantic thoughts. He looked over at the lit-up screen and pulled it over to him.

_Jason: Why are you up? How long did you even sleep??? Am I going to have to come over there and force you back into bed so that you don’t kill yourself by working too much?_

Tim shook his head at himself. He couldn’t think like that. Jason cared about him. That was something that he would just have to accept. He took a deep breath to steady himself.

_Tim: My brain thought that only an hour of sleep was going to be a good idea. But coffee is going to keep me going._

Jason’s response came before he even set his phone down.

_Jason: You’re going to kill yourself with the coffee and lack of sleep one of these days. I’m going to make you sleep. I don’t care what it takes._

Tim smiled and looked down at his homework.

_Tim: Well if you really want to help…I’m working on getting my missed homework finished but if you bring me pizza later I might give in and take a nap._

_Jason: Might? You might take a nap? No you are going to take a nap or I’m not going to let you patrol tonight. And pizza two days in a row?_

_Tim: Pizza is good. And what are you going to do? Ground me? You can’t ground me Jason!_

_Jason: Wanna bet?_

_Tim: Don’t start a war you can’t win._

_Jason: As long as I win this one battle._

Tim narrowed his eyes. So he wanted a war? Well Tim could give him a war.

_Tim: Don’t come crying to me when you suddenly find yourself out of any and all resources that you rely on._

_Jason: Tim you can’t be serious?_

_Jason: Tim?_

_Jason: Tim!_

Tim grinned ruefully and set his phone to the side. It would do Jason good to sweat a little bit. And Tim had some homework to finish up anyway. He looked into his coffee cup. But before he got back to that, he’d need some more coffee.

~~

Tim sighed and let his pencil fall to the table in favor of stretching his arms over his head. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there, but he’d accumulated more than just a few mugs with all of the coffee that he drank. He yawned and started shoving the rest of his things back into his backpack. He briefly thought that even if Jason didn’t bring him pizza, he’d still take a nap. His exhaustion was making itself known and if he wasn’t careful he’d end up as a stain on the pavement during patrol from poor grappling aim.

A soft tapping caught his attention and he slowly turned his head so he was looking out his window and gaped. Jason was waving and grinning at him from the fire escape. He had a pizza box in his hand.

Tim jumped up from the couch and rushed over to the window, expertly disabling the security even as his fatigue clung to his senses. He pulled the window open and stepped back to allow him in.

“What are you doing here?” Tim asked, utterly shocked.

“I brought pizza!” he said, holding up the box.

“Yes, but…why?”

Jason’s grin slipped from his face and he cocked his head to the side, obviously confused. “Because you asked me to? If you don’t want it…I just thought…”

Tim stared at him. “You brought me pizza just because I asked?”

Jason’s brow furrowed. “Yes? Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s just…I don’t think anyone’s done anything like that for me before,” he answered softly, letting the window fall shut. He cleared his throat, waiting for Jason to say something. When he didn’t, he searched for something else to say. “I thought I told you to come through the front door? You didn’t have to climb up the-“

Tim gasped as Jason pulled him against his chest in a one-armed hug. His heart beat loudly in his chest and he wondered if Jason could hear it.

“Why don’t we sit down on the couch and eat this?” Jason asked, stepping away.

“Yeah, sure.” Tim glanced up at Jason where he was standing next to him. There was a light dusting of pink on his cheeks and Tim knew that he probably looked the same. “If you want to grab some plates I can clear off the table for us to use.”

“Okay,” he said before walking off.

Tim took a shaky breath and went back to putting his things in his backpack. He left it on the floor next to the table and grabbed the empty coffee mugs to take back to the kitchen.

“I knew that you were drinking too much coffee,” Jason said as he caught sight of Tim’s full hands.

“I had to stay awake somehow,” he said with a smile. “All that homework wasn’t going to get done by itself.”

“You work too much. What happened to just being able to enjoy yourself?”

Tim joined Jason on the couch. He opted to sit with his back against one armrest while Jason was on the other side. He held out a plate that Tim took happily.

“That was fun when I didn’t have any responsibilities, but now I’m back and have things that need to be done. It’s part of my life.”

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself!” Jason protested.

“You’re right, it doesn’t, but…that doesn’t mean I can just push everything aside.”

“I don’t understand what makes you want to work so hard,” Jason said, reaching for another slice of pizza. “To me, it seems like you aren’t appreciated enough for the work that you already do. Why do you want to make it harder for yourself?”

Tim sighed. That was always the question that people never asked because they didn’t want to address it. “Because they’re things that need to be done. And I can be the person to do it. If I can do something, I shouldn’t just let it go.”

“But you can’t take on the whole world by yourself!”

Tim closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the couch. “I don’t know how to make you understand.”

“No, I don’t know how I can make _you_ understand, Tim. Eat your pizza since I did you the favor of bringing it all the way over here for you.”

“Don’t act like it was such a chore,” he said, smile tugging at the sides of his mouth.

“It wasn’t, but that doesn’t mean you should let it go to waste.”

Tim swallowed his food roughly, not expecting that type of answer.

“Okay, what are you thinking about now?” Jason asked around a mouthful of food. Tim looked up and found him watching him, one of his eyebrows quirked in interest.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if it got you to freeze like that.”

Tim looked down at his half-eaten slice of pizza and cleared his throat.

Jason huffed and set his plate to the side. He wrapped one of his hands around Tim’s ankle where his foot was between them and pulled him to the other side of the couch.

“Jason!” Tim squawked in surprise, just barely keeping his food on the plate in his hands. Jason pinned his legs down over his thighs so that he couldn’t move and Tim leaned against the back of the couch as best he could to keep himself from falling backwards.

“I thought you trusted me,” he said softly.

Tim looked up at him before going back to staring at his food. “I do.”

“Then why can’t you talk to me about this.”

“I don’t know… I guess it’s because I’m just not very used to leaning on other people. I became a vigilante because Bruce needed someone and I stayed because he needed someone. And I enjoyed it, too. I had to be the wall, the rock, the force that keeps other people from falling apart. So I couldn’t have my own weaknesses. I couldn’t show cracks or breaks or compromising emotions. I couldn’t be vulnerable, because a person who’s hurting isn’t going to trust someone who might break or leave them for themself.”

“But you don’t have to be like that all the time, Tim. You can have your moments to yourself. You can _be_ yourself. You don’t always have to live up to the expectations that other people set for you. You can make your own and live your life how you please.”

“It sounds so easy when you say it like that,” Tim said with a breathy chuckle.

“It can still be easy as long as you let it happen. Now, what set you off down this dangerous train of thinking?” Jason asked as he started rubbing circles into Tim’s ankle.

Tim closed his eyes and hoped that if he pretended he was talking to himself then everything would be fine. “I’m not used to people wanting to do things for me. Like, I said, I’ve had to be there. I had to be the person that held everything together and fixed it. People don’t do things for me. They come to me when they need help fixing a problem and can’t do it themselves.”

“Or don’t want to do it themselves.”

“Maybe that too.”

They fell silent. Tim opened his eyes and fiddled with his pizza. He hated that he made the mood sour. They were supposed to be having a nice time. He didn’t need to burden Jason with his problems.

“I know what you’re doing,” Jason said.

“What?”

Jason pushed Tim’s legs from his lap and pulled him up against his side. “You’re thinking that you shouldn’t be bothering me with this. It’s not a bother. I’m here because I want to be. And I’m doing these things because I want to do them. You shouldn’t feel guilty about my actions and you shouldn’t feel guilty about having my attention, because there’s honestly no one else who I want to give it to.”

Tim smiled, feeling just a little bit relieved.

“Thanks Jason.”

“Anytime, Tim. And I mean that.”

“Okay.”

They went back to eating their pizza, but Tim stayed next to Jason until the box was empty. He was feeling full and satisfied and more than a little tired after the long night he had and the lack of sleep he was suffering from. It didn’t help that Jason’s warmth beside had his body relaxing.

Jason had propped his feet up on the coffee table a while ago and slung an arm over the back of the couch once he’d finished eating. Tim was tucked into his side, breaths soft and slowly evening out even as he fought the pull of sleep. He told himself that he needed to stay awake and that Jason probably wanted to leave, but his drowsiness won out in the end and he was pulled into the world of his dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it stands right now, I think there might just be two more chapters to this. Well...more like one chapter and a shorter epilogue. I'm not sure if they'll both be 10k or what, it's going to rely heavily on how the story progresses. Ever since I started this fic I've been winging it so I'm not for sure yet how long it's going to take me to wrap things up. 
> 
> But that aside, I'm back yay!!! These past few months have been super busy for me and have not given me much time to write let alone sleep. But things are finally settling down and I'm getting ready to go back to school so that should help things at least! 
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter! Fun new developments happened and I enjoyed putting it together! ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim slowly came back to consciousness. He was warm. So warm and relaxed and happy. He turned his face into the pillow underneath his head and smiled. He didn’t remember falling asleep. Or making it to his own bed, but he didn’t really care. He just knew that he’d been tired and he was comfortable and didn’t want to leave. He rolled over and snuggled further underneath the blanket, pausing when he felt something move beside him.

He frowned and slowly opened his eyes, bringing a hand up to rub at them when he wasn’t able to focus right away. He was face to face with a black shirt.

“You finally awake now? I thought you were going to sleep the whole night away.”

Tim’s gaze slowly travelled upwards until he was met with Jason’s smiling face. Jason’s very _close_ smiling face.

“What?” he asked rather eloquently.

“You fell asleep next to me on the couch after we finished the pizza. I thought you’d be more comfortable in here if you were going to sleep until tonight, but when I tried to set you down and leave you wouldn’t let go of my shirt and I didn’t want to accidentally wake you up when you’d already fallen asleep.”

Tim groaned and buried his face in his hands. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks and finally took notice of where Jason’s arm had come to rest across waist and his fingers were brushing against the skin of his back where his shirt had been rucked up.

“What time is it?” he asked, trying to keep his mind from focusing on how good it felt to have Jason’s soothing touch.

Jason stretched to look over his head. “Just after 8 pm.”

Tim closed his eyes and let his hands fall away. “I guess I really was that tired.”

“I told you. You need to take better care of yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah. No need to gloat.”

“Are you up for patrolling tonight?”

“Of course!” Tim scoffed, looking up at Jason who looked relaxed and content in his bed. Tim decided not to think about what other implications that held. “I’m fine, it was only a nap.”

“If you say so,” Jason said, taking his hand away in favor of rolling onto his back to put his hands behind his head.

Tim shivered, skin suddenly cold despite the blanket that was on top of him. He pulled it tighter around himself and copied Jason, forcing himself to stare at the ceiling in the hopes that it would keep him from fixating on the fact that Jason had napped with him. Jason had napped _with_ him. In his bed. With his arm around him. For what was probably _five hours_.

He told himself that he should be weirded out by that. That he should be freaking out about it or something. Especially when he knew about how Jason felt. But there was…nothing. Nothing except the desire to have Jason’s arm around his waist again.

“I guess that I should get going,” Jason sighed, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. “I need to get back to my place and get ready for patrol.”

“Yeah, sure,” Tim said, quickly following him back out to the living room.

Jason grabbed his jacket from where he’d left it on the couch earlier walked over to the window.

“Still going to use the window, I see,” Tim said, crossing his arms with a smile.

“Of course!” Jason shot back, laughing. “It’s more fun that way.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Tim said softly as Jason pushed open the window and crawled out. He waved quickly before descending the fire escape to the alley below.

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Hoping that he could keep his mind from thinking about what had just happened, he picked up the empty pizza box and the plates that they’d used earlier. He tossed the box in the trash and settled himself in front of the sink to wash the plates.

He stared down at his hands as the soap was washed down the drain. He left the plates to dry next to the sink and shut off the water. He dried his hands quickly and tossed the dish towel on the counter before he settled down on his couch with his laptop. He opened his web browser and typed in his search before he could stop himself.

He hated that he was relying on a Google search about dating to help him out with this, but he really had nowhere else he felt he could turn. One of the few people who he could talk about more personal things with was Dick, but after his reaction to him and Jason just going out to a bookstore and grabbing lunch as friends, this would give him a heart attack.

Tim scrolled through the online quizzes, not wanting to take the time to even answer those and pulled up several articles from teen websites since that was apparently his life at the moment. As his eyes scanned over the words, he felt himself despair more and more, because as ridiculous as some of the things on these websites were, he couldn’t deny the truth that it hinted at.

He shut his computer rather forcefully and jumped to his feet in favor of pacing around his living room since sitting still was the last thing he wanted to do in that moment.

“Okay, okay, so…” he took a deep breath. “So I like Jason. Probably in more than just a friendly way. I like him in more of a romantic way.” He groaned and scrubbed at his face. “So I like him in a romantic way. No big deal, Tim. That’s completely fine. You already figured out that he likes you.”

He continued to pace in silence before stopping and throwing his hands in the air. “But what do I do about it?!” he exclaimed. “How am I supposed to talk to him? Where do we go from here?”

Tim fell back onto his couch. He let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. “Someone tell me what to do? Please?”

He waited and sighed when his apartment remained silent. “Right. I’m on my own for this one.”

He lifted his head and looked out the window. It was just barely dark enough to justify going out on patrol, but he had no idea what else to do and at least covering the streets of Gotham would keep him from stressing about everything. He could focus on saving people and anything else that may come up and if he ran into Jason…he wouldn’t think about it until he got to that point.

Tim jumped up from the couch and hurried into his bedroom. He flung the doors of his closet open and grabbed his suit from where he kept it stashed. His clothes were left strewn around the room as he shimmied into the tight costume. He snapped on his belt and checked it for his grapple gun and bo staff. Pleased with what he found there, Tim grabbed a domino and slipped it on over his eyes, blinking a couple of times to ensure that it would stay in place while he swung across the rooftops.

He hurried through his apartment and shut off all the lights before slipping out the window and arming his security. He took a breath of the late night Gotham air as he got up onto the roof. There was still some lingering heat from the day, but a slight chill was emerging now that the sun had gone down. It was nights like these when the temperature was just right that he could see the smallest hint of the stars through the smog of Gotham.

He let out a long breath and jumped from one roof to the next, keeping to the shadows for the moment. He’d rather not be seen. He wanted to keep to himself and just be without having to think. Fighting was the same. He knew as he landed on top of a mugger, forcing him to the ground. His senses were zeroed in on the person to make sure that he didn’t get himself hurt and the other people involved weren’t hurt either.

As the sky darkened just a bit more and the streetlights failed to properly light the sidewalks and buildings, Tim took the chance to run along the edges of the rooftops and grapple from street to street. He enjoyed the thrill of it. Reveled in the cool air that whipped through his hair with each twist, turn, and flip.

He stopped to catch his breath, the air stinging his lungs from all of the running that he was doing. He felt better after getting the chance to clear his head. He knew that it wouldn’t last for long and that he’d have to get back to patrolling soon, but he wanted to soak up every second that he got of his reprieve.

Tim sat down on the edge of the building and let his legs dangle over the side. He wrapped his cape around himself to keep it in place as the wind ruffled his hair. He felt the sweat starting to cool on his skin uncomfortably, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it besides keep moving and he wanted to grab a minute to think. Not that he should really be thinking considering he was having a freak-out before he left for patrol because he couldn’t stop himself from overthinking.

He almost expected Jason to pop up out of the alley and join him even though they’d just seen each other. He thought that he should probably be a little critical of the fact that he wouldn’t mind seeing him again and that he was letting the minutes stretch out a little longer than he normally would have in the hopes that Jason really would show up and join him. Not that he really needed to use that as an excuse. Jason was more than capable of showing up anywhere on his patrol to talk to him.

Finally, Tim sighed and got to his feet. He couldn’t wait around all night in the hopes that he might show up. He shot his grapple to the rooftops on the opposite side of the street and swung over before continuing his run across the buildings. He kept his focus on anything that looked suspicious or out of the ordinary, by Gotham standards anyway, but things were quiet for the moment.

Tim hadn’t even realized that he was actively seeking out Jason until he was over by his patrol route. He stopped at the edge of the building and took a minute to listen to the city around him. Things seemed rather quiet and peaceful. He didn’t even hear any gunshots that might give away where Jason was fighting. He sighed, disappointed and turned his back on the area, intent on getting back to his own patrol route. He couldn’t exactly ignore his own responsibilities.

He felt distracted by everything. He wanted to take it all apart like he would with a new piece of tech. He wanted to know why he was suddenly feeling this way and why Jason had developed feelings for him. He had an _idea_ as to why that had happened, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. And he didn’t want to be left with any inevitable form of fallout if Jason’s feelings only ended up being some form of prolonged hero worship that hung over from when he was younger.

“Red Robin.”

Tim nearly jumped and whirled around, caught off guard by the person who’d approached him. He relaxed when it was just Dick who was behind him.

“Nightwing,” he nodded. “Is there something that you needed?”

“Yeah, I was just curious about something and wanted to ask if you knew anything about it.”

“Okay,” Tim said, confused. “What is it?”

“Well, I just came from talking with Batman…”

Tim nodded. That wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for Dick. He always took a little bit of time to check in with him during patrol.

“What’s so out of the ordinary about that?”

“Well it wasn’t that exactly, but while we were chatting…we were interrupted by Red Hood.”

Tim felt dread pool in his stomach. “He didn’t start shooting, did he?”

“No, he didn’t. He came to talk.”

“To…talk,” Tim said slowly.

“Yeah, I didn’t believe it at first, but he came to talk.”

“Well, what did he say?”

“He said that he wanted to apologize for some of the things that he did when he came back. He was angry and he knew that that didn’t justify his actions, but he didn’t know how else to deal with all of the emotions that he was experiencing. He wanted to try and make things better. He didn’t want to have this divide between all of us,” Dick explained.

Tim stared at him. It almost didn’t seem real that this was happening. “He actually said that? He actually came to talk to you about this?”

“Yeah. It was pretty incredible.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“After that, Bruce wanted to talk to him alone and I was more than happy to give them their space because I’m sure the conversation that’s coming isn’t going to be a pretty one, but the one thing that I did still manage to catch was that he was doing this for you.”

“For me? Why would he be doing that for me?”

“He said that he didn’t want to make you choose between your family and your friendship with him. He didn’t want to put more stress on you if he couldn’t get along with the rest of us and he decided to take steps to try and fix that. He wanted to make things better for you.”

Tim felt his breath caught. He stared at the space in front of him, not really seeing what was there. He swallowed and tried to figure out what he was feeling, but his heart felt too big for his chest, like the emotions were just going to burst out of him, and he thought that he might start crying because it all just seemed like too much.

Jason had done so many things for him over the past few days. He’d been there and looked out for him and taken him out to have a fun day on the town. Any lingering doubts that Jason was only acting out of some old sense of hero worship were quickly dispelled because there was no way that he would’ve taken that big of a step because of that.

“Red Robin? You okay? Nothing’s wrong is it?” Dick asked, worry thick in his voice.

Tim shook his head and smiled. “No. Nothing’s wrong. Thanks for coming to talk to me, Nightwing. But I should get back to patrol. I’m sure I’ll have a busy night ahead of me.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll see you later, little bro.”

Tim watched as Dick turned on his heel, albeit a little hesitantly, and jumped from the building, doing a flip in mid-air before he shot his grapple and hurried away.

Tim needed to find Jason. He needed to talk to him. He needed to do something. Because he couldn’t just let this go. He couldn’t let it go on for another second longer without letting Jason know how important everything he’d been doing had meant to him. He didn’t even know if Jason was still talking to Bruce or where he was. He could only hope that he’d be lucky enough to run into him along the way.

He pulled his grapple from his belt and ran to the edge of the building. He had a pretty good idea of where Bruce would be at that time of night and got turned in that direction. The buildings flew by and he was more than a little grateful that there wasn’t any crime to be seen as he hurried across Gotham. It was a blessing because getting derailed by a criminal was the last thing that he needed in that moment.

He stopped on one of the taller buildings and took a moment to catch his breath. He turned in a circle but didn’t see any shapes on the horizon. There was no sign of the other vigilantes who might be out that night. Tim growled in frustration and brought a hand up to his ear, patching into Oracle’s frequency.

“What can I do for you tonight, Red Robin?” she immediately asked.

“Do you have eyes on Red Hood’s location? I need to find him.”

She hummed. “That last I saw of him was when he approached Batman over on Belmont, but they’re gone now. Give me another minute and…there. He’s sitting on top of a building over on William, but you might want to hurry. Things usually pick up over there at this time of night.”

“Thanks, Oracle. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

Tim shut off his comm and turned back in the direction that he’d come from. He crossed over several streets and looked back and forth, searching the rooftops for any figure that he might catch sight of in the distance.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration when he finally reached William Street and still didn’t see him nearby. He took a minute to let himself breathe and calm down and listen to the sounds of Gotham. The muffled sounds of a fight reached his ears and hurried over the rooftops, finally reaching an alley where he found Jason fighting off a group of men while a woman cowered in the corner.

He grinned and jumped into the fray, taking two of the guys down in quick succession as Jason finished with the rest. Tim ziptied the goons while Jason consoled the woman and helped her to the mouth of the alley and in the direction of her home. When he was finished, Jason put in the call to the GCPD and Tim hurried to the roof ahead of Jason.

Tim was shifting nervously from foot to foot by the time Jason caught up with him. His shoulders looked like they were sagging underneath his leather jacket and Tim could only imagine what sort of weight he felt like he was carrying on his shoulders. Tim worried at his lip, his earlier confidence and determination suddenly drying up in the face of uncertainty because what if he was wrong? What if Jason didn’t actually like him in that way?

“Hey Red,” he said, sounding tired. “What brings you over here?”

“Hood…are you…” he trailed off and cleared his throat, taking a slightly shaky breath. “Are you wearing a domino underneath your helmet tonight?”

Jason cocked his head. “No, why do you ask?”

Tim ran a hand through his hair. Things were going to be more difficult this way. “I needed to talk to you about something, but I didn’t want to be talking to your helmet.”

“Um…okay. We can meet up after patrol if you want? Or patrol together?”

Tim nodded before he even finished talking. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“You’re starting to make me nervous. You seem like you’re a little on edge. It’s nothing bad is it?”

“No! God, no. It’s not bad, just important, that’s all.”

Jason nodded slowly. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry. It’s just something that I need to get off my chest. Sort of. Look…I know I’m not really making sense right now and it’s probably not going to get any better during the rest of patrol so if we could just go and punch some bad guys that would be preferred.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

Tim let out a breath and mentally chastised himself for his awkward behavior before following Jason across the rooftops. He tried to stay focused to keep a watch for any crime that may be happening and make sure that he didn’t end up on the pavement, but his eyes kept getting drawn to Jason’s back. He found that he couldn’t do much more than stare at him because he was so close to finally getting everything out. And he was really hoping that it wouldn’t all blow up in his face over it.

The minutes seemed to drag by as their footsteps made muted thumps across the rooftops. There was the wail of sirens in the distance that provided a constant soundtrack to the city. A car alarm sounded in some far off neighborhood and Tim wondered if it was someone trying to break in or because a cat jumped down on the hood again.

Even the action of taking out a group of thugs or stopping a robbery couldn’t draw Tim’s focus away from Jason. It didn’t mean that he got careless. He was as careful and as accurate as ever as he dodged hits and took out armed gunmen with a swing of his bo.

Jason was his own kind of force to be reckoned with. One that few people came out of unscathed. Tim had first-hand experience of that and knew just how deadly and precise he could be.

For once, they didn’t talk much during patrol. A heavy mood hung over their heads like a thundercloud. Tim wanted to get rid of it. He suspected that it was left over from the talk that Jason had with Bruce, but that didn’t make it any easier because he knew that he was the cause of it. He didn’t want to be the reason that Jason was unhappy.

“Are you seriously okay?” Jason asked, breaking into Tim’s thoughts just as he was about to jump from a rooftop.

Tim tripped over his feet and flailed his arms as he fought against gravity and his loss of balance. Jason snagged his cape and pulled him backwards into his chest.

“Sorry. Bad time to ask a question when I knew that you were caught up in your thoughts. But seriously, what’s wrong? You seem kind of off.”

Tim took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face. His heartbeat was starting to slow after the surprise of being jolted back to reality. He stepped forward so he could turn and face Jason.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I was just kind of caught up in my own thoughts there. It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

“Are you sure that you can’t talk to me about whatever it is right now?” Jason asked, shifting from foot to foot.

Tim sighed. “Sorry,” he apologized again. “I know that I’m probably just making this worse since I’m being so vague, but I really don’t want to talk about this to your helmet and since you’re not wearing a domino underneath, it’s going to have to wait.”

“Do you want to just cut patrol short or take a quick break so that we can go talk?” Jason asked.

The offer was tempting and Tim was wanting to take Jason up on it, but…

“We can’t,” he said, shaking his head. “As much as I would love that, what if someone needs us? We owe it to the city to be here if they need us. It’s our job to be able to separate ourselves from our personal lives when we’re out here and even this shouldn’t get in the way.”

Jason nodded. “Okay. I understand and can agree with that. So…no more distractions then? Let’s just finish patrol and then we can worry about whatever it is that has you so on edge, okay?”

Tim nodded, feeling like a little bit of the weight that he’d been carrying around had been lifted off his shoulders. “Sounds good to me, let’s go.”

This time, Tim did manage to jump from the building without being startled and continued his run across the buildings with Jason by his side. He felt more free this time and was actually enjoying himself now that he wasn’t so focused on his thoughts and feelings. Jason seemed to feel lighter, too. He was keeping up with Tim’s pace easily and turned his head every now and then in Tim’s direction in what Tim imagined was him grinning at him. Even though he couldn’t see it for sure, Tim grinned back.

~~

The rest of their patrol went much better than it started. They’d relaxed back into a comfortable silence and even chased each other over the rooftops a few times to have some fun. All while stopping criminals along the way. Tim had nearly forgotten why he’d sought Jason out in the first place until the early morning commuters started to fill the sidewalks and he was brought back to the task at hand.

“You wanted to talk to me about something, yeah?” Jason asked when they landed back on the rooftop of Tim’s apartment building.

Tim immediately felt his nerves bubble to the surface at the reminder and he shifted from foot to foot nervously. “Yeah. I did.”

He waited a beat before hurrying over to the fire escape and climbing down to his window. Jason was right behind him, just as silent as they slipped through the window without a word. Tim unclipped his cape and set it on the coffee table with his domino before he risked turning on a lamp in the living room. Jason pulled off his helmet and set it next to Tim’s things gingerly.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Jason asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Tim ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath to steady himself. “While I was out on patrol, Dick came to talk to me.” He glanced up at Jason’s face and found that he looked more confused than anything. “He told me that you went to go talk to Bruce.”

Jason’s eyes widened slightly and he quickly pulled his hands from his pockets.

“I have to go,” he said, turning towards the window.

“Wait!” Tim said, panicking. He grabbed on to Jason’s arm to stop him.

Jason’s shoulders were still tense, but he didn’t pull away. Tim swallowed quickly and started speaking quickly, hoping that anything he said might convince him to stay. That wasn’t even the most important thing that he had to say either.

“He told me that you were trying to mend things with the rest of the family and I just wanted…I just wanted to thank you for that.”

Jason’s head turned to the side a little so he could look at Tim out of the corner of his eye.

“It means a lot to me. And I wanted to thank you for taking that step. And doing it because of me,” Tim finished softly.

Jason turned so that he was facing Tim and their hands were hanging loosely between them.

“You don’t need to thank me,” he whispered.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I do. It means a lot to me. And it made me realize something. Something that I need to tell you before I wait too long.”

“What?”

Jason’s statement hung in the air between them, falling softly towards the ground like the last fall leaf would in the chill November air. Tim swallowed and opened his mouth.

“I…I wanted to tell you that I…I…”

Jason waited patiently as Tim let out an uneven breath. It had seemed so easy to just let the words come out when he’d thought about it. Actually saying them seemed damn near impossible in the moment.

“This,” Tim breathed, grasping Jason’s jacket and pulling him close. Jason’s eyes widened as the space closed between them and Tim snaked one of his hands up into Jason’s hair. Tim closed his eyes as their lips came together. The kiss was stiff. Jason left frozen in place. Tim prepared to pull back, assuming that he’d made some huge error in judgment when Jason surged forward.

His arms wrapped around Tim and pulled him close. One of his hands cradled the back of Tim’s head as he deepened the kiss. Tim sighed, relaxing into his arms as his heart sang, lighting up his blood with electricity. When Jason’s tongue swiped his bottom lip, Tim didn’t even hesitate in opening his mouth.

The need for air broke them apart too soon. Tim closed his eyes, completely overwhelmed by feeling and relief and leaned his head against Jason’s chest which earned him a kiss on the head.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you were going to tell me that you have feelings for me,” Jason said.

Tim breathed a laugh and looked up at Jason with sparkling eyes, finding nothing but adoration there. “It’s what I would’ve said if I actually could’ve gotten the words out.”

Jason bit his lip, trying and failing to hide his enormous grin. “Well I’m kind of glad that you couldn’t. I’d take a kiss like that any day. I never thought that it would happen, if I’m being honest.”

“Well maybe we can make it happen a few more times?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

Jason pulled Tim over to the couch and into his lap when he sat. Tim tried to straddle Jason’s thighs and sit back towards his knees, but Jason wasn’t letting Tim get very far away, choosing to keep his arm tightly wound around Tim’s back so that their chests were touching. Tim was perched slightly above Jason and he used the position to wrap his arms around Jason’s shoulders.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Tim was ducking his head to bring their mouths together once again. This kiss was even better than the first one. And they just kept getting better and better.

Tim sighed happily when they finally pulled apart for longer than a second and leaned their foreheads together. He shifted uncomfortably as his knees gave a twinge from being stuck in the same position for too long. He wiggled out of Jason’s hold, much to his dismay and sat in Jason’s lap instead so that he could lean his head on Jason’s chest.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Jason murmured.

Tim tilted his head up so that he could get a better look at him. “How come?” he asked.

Jason stole another kiss before he started speaking. “I’ve just…I’ve been hoping to have something like this for years. You were so much fun to have around during those few days when you went back in time, but it wasn’t until after I was…brought back that things really began to change. I thought about you more to keep me grounded and when I actually came back to myself, I knew that I would’ve given anything to see you again.

“And…then I did. And I thought that…maybe I could have you. Even if it wasn’t in a romantic way. You were there on that rooftop and I couldn’t believe that I ever hurt you after everything you did for me. I spent so long thinking about you that sometimes I wasn’t sure if you were even real.”

“But I am real,” Tim said with a grin.

Jason grinned back. “You are. Thank god you are. I don’t know what I ever would’ve done if I never saw you again. I knew I’d never be able to forget you.”

Tim shook his head and rested his cheek over Jason’s heart. “You would’ve found someone else.”

“Never,” Jason swore.

Silence hung between them for a moment before Tim found the words to speak.

“So what happens now?” Tim asked. “I didn’t really plan for what might happen after I told you how I feel.”

“Well I think we covered the minutes after the confession pretty well with the whole making out session,” Jason said lightly. “What do you want to do? Do you want to just wing it? Do you want to officially be dating? Are you my boyfriend now?”

Warmth bloomed in Tim’s chest at the word boyfriend and he curled further into Jason who tightened his hold on him.

“I like that,” he said softly.

“What? Being called my boyfriend?”

Tim nodded.

“I like it, too,” Jason murmured.

Tim opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a large yawn. Jason chuckled beneath him.

“It’s late, you should get some sleep. Besides, don’t you have school today?”

“Unfortunately,” Tim grumbled.

“Come on, up you go,” Jason said, helping Tim out of his lap so that he was standing next to him.

Tim bit his lip and shot a nervous look at Jason. “Stay with me?”

Jason blinked at him, almost as though he couldn’t quite understand what Tim was asking. “Stay…?” His eyes flicked to the bedroom and he grinned before nodding.

“I’m gonna go change. You can take the bathroom if you want,” Tim said, backing away.

“Okay, yeah.”

Tim hurried into his room, nearly slamming the door behind him and started pulling the different pieces of his uniform off. He was grinning and he could do nothing to stop the giddy feeling that rose in his chest because of everything and nothing and just because of Jason. He glanced at the clock and nearly huffed in frustration at the few hours that he’d actually get with Jason before he’d have to be up again and going to school.

Trying not to think about it, he pulled on a clean pair of boxers and a baggy shirt and shoved his uniform away, knowing that he could take care of that later. Alfred wasn’t there to have an aneurysm over a few unfolded clothes. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to curb the grin that was pulling at his lips, but just ended up failing miserably.

He pulled the door open so that Jason could enter whenever he was done in the bathroom and moved to even out the blanket from where it had gotten ruffled during his nap that afternoon. Tim flicked on the lamp before turning off the glaring overhead light and crawled underneath the covers. He gazed at the door and watched as the lamp in the living room was shut off.

Jason walked through the door to his bedroom a moment later. He’d stripped down to his boxers since none of the other pieces of his uniform really accommodated sleep. Or they were probably too sweaty to sleep in. He crawled in on the other side of the bed and snaked an arm around Tim’s waist so that he could pull him towards him.

Tim rolled backwards and easily met Jason’s lips in a tender kiss. He sighed and pulled away to turn off the lamp before settling back down against Jason’s chest. He felt warm and happy and like nothing could take this from him. He thought that he probably should’ve been worried about some negative effects that would’ve been brought on for accidentally messing with the time stream, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Not when gentle kisses were being trailed across the back of his neck, a warm chest was pressed against his back, and Jason’s legs were tangled with his underneath the blanket.

~~~

Tim groaned when his alarm went off and pulled him from a decent sleep for once. He ignored the ringing in favor of burrowing further into Jason’s chest to hide from the world, drawing a chuckle from him.

“Come on, Timmy, you have to get up and go to school,” he said, trying to stifle his laughter.

“Noooo,” he groaned. “I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you.”

Jason pulled Tim from where he was trying to hide in his chest and stole a quick kiss. “You’ll have plenty of time to see me later, but you can’t miss any more school after what happened last week.”

Tim sighed and pulled himself away, grudgingly turning off his alarm and shuffling towards the bathroom. He hopped in the shower to scrub the previous night’s grime from his skin and was welcomed by the smell of coffee when he stepped from the bathroom. He peeked around the corner and saw Jason bustling around the kitchen.

He changed quickly and hurried back out to join him.

Somehow Jason had already managed to make a full pot of coffee now that he knew how to use Tim’s coffee maker, several pieces of toast and scrambled eggs. Tim hadn’t even known that he’d had eggs in his fridge. He briefly wondered how old they were.

“You made breakfast?” he asked as Jason turned around with two plates of toast and eggs.

Jason shrugged and Tim saw the light blush that dusted his cheeks. “I thought that it would make your morning a little easier and this way I knew you were getting something more to eat than just a few cups of coffee.”

Tim smiled and grabbed a mug for his coffee while Jason sat down at the table. Tim sat across from him and dug into the food with an appreciative hum. They ate quickly, the food disappearing as the inevitable time when Tim would have to depart drew nearer.

Jason was kind enough to wash the dishes as Tim gathered everything that he needed for school and stuffed it into his backpack. He sighed, dreading the long day ahead of him.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” Jason said, pulling him in for one last kiss.

“I highly doubt that…” Tim tried to argue.

Jason rolled his eyes and shoved him towards the door. “Just go. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Tim looked over Jason and how he was trying to seem relaxed with his arms crossed over his chest, but Tim could see the underlying uncertainty. The worry that he was still overstepping his boundaries in what they were doing and what their relationship had become. Tim smiled warmly back at him.

“Of course! And don’t feel the need to stay cooped up in here all day. I know that you already know how to get through my security and could easily leave and come back.”

Jason grinned. “You got it.”

Tim shook his head fondly and left his apartment and Jason behind. By the time he realized the happy and fond smile he was wearing was still plastered on his face, he couldn’t find it in himself to care that it would most likely be there the rest of the day.

~~

Tim was more than a little relieved when he finally got to walk out of the double doors to his school when the last bell rang. He breathed in the semi-fresh air, since the air was never truly fresh in Gotham, but it was conditionally in his case after being stuck in a building all day, and froze in his tracks when he caught sight of who was waiting for him at the edge of the sidewalk.

Jason was leaning against his motorcycle trying, and failing, to look at ease around everyone, but Tim could tell that he was tense and nervous. That didn’t stop the grin that immediately pulled at his lips when he caught sight of his new boyfriend. He hurried over to him and Jason seemed to relax slightly now that he was there, but still managed to look nervous.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Well, I asked if I’d be able to see you later and it’s later, so…”

Tim chuckled. “You didn’t have to come all this way to just pick me up.”

Jason shrugged. “I wanted to.” He took a deep breath. “I actually…just came from the Manor. I wanted to see you after everything that happened there.”

Tim’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You went to the Manor? Why?”

“Well…after last night, I’d told B that I wanted to try and make things work a little easier. And I thought since we’re, well, dating now, that it would be better to start sooner rather than later. I don’t want my relationship with everyone else to put a strain on ours. I want to be able to spend time with you without having to worry about someone dropping in because they’re worried about what I might be doing.”

Tim grinned and tugged one of Jason’s arms free so he could link their fingers together. Jason squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. “Thank you. For trying. It means a lot to me. And I think that they might be worried even after you work things out. But…I don’t want to have to hide from them. They’re my family and your family and you’re my boyfriend…”

Tim trailed off, embarrassed and Jason pulled him into a one-armed hug. Tim felt his face heat up at the pleased grin on Jason’s face.

“Alfred-uh…Alfred also invited me to dinner with the family on Sunday…” Jason continued.

“Really?” Tim clamped down on the hope that was rising inside of him. “What did you say?”

“I told him that I’d be there.”

Tim gaped at Jason. He moved his mouth to try and get some form of words to come out.

“You’re really going to be there?”

Jason nodded. “If I’m going to try and mend things with them then I should go. I can’t promise that it’ll be easy or even go remotely well…but if you’re there with me, then I think I’ll be able to do it.”

“Thanks, Jason. It means a lot to me. What you’re doing.”

Jason blushed and squeezed his hand again. “Well, you can thank me by coming out to eat with me.”

“Where are we going this time?”

Jason grinned. “It’s a surprise!”

Tim laughed and eagerly climbed onto Jason’s bike behind him.

~~

The week passed in a whirlwind of getting caught up with school and W.E. for Tim. When he wasn’t bogged down with work, he was patrolling Gotham and spending a lot of time with Jason which he was more than grateful for. Now that they had officially decided to start dating, Tim was more than happy to just spend the night eating dinner and cuddling on the couch while watching a movie. It felt a little crazy how quickly he came to want the physical affection that Jason was all too willing to give.

It was one of the things that was going to make the Sunday dinner at the Manor more difficult to get through. Jason had said that he was going to do his best to be civil, but that wouldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t get upset or angry at some point. And unless Tim wanted to give the rest of the family a few tells that they were in a relationship, he’d have to pull back on the physical contact that had become second-nature to the two of them.

Tim was just glad that Jason had offered to pick him up on his way to the Manor. It saved him from making the trip himself through Gotham traffic and gave them a few minutes alone even if it didn’t give them the chance to talk things over.

He felt more than heard the steadying breath that Jason took as they pulled up to the front of the Manor. This night wasn’t about to be anything simple or easy. Tim just hoped that they could get through it without a huge fight.

Tim gave Jason a comforting squeeze before he pulled his arms away and climbed off the bike. He handed his helmet off to Jason who took his time stowing them underneath the seat which Tim couldn’t really blame him for. Alfred pulled the door open as they climbed the steps to the front door and smiled.

“Welcome Master Timothy. Master Jason, welcome back.”

“Thanks Alfred,” Jason said, relaxing for the moment as he drew comfort from Alfred’s calm demeanor.

Alfred stepped to the side and allowed the two of them inside.

“Can I take your coats?” he asked, shutting the door behind them.

“No thanks, Alfred. I’ll keep mine with me,” Jason said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

Tim knew that it was his escape if things got bad. He’d be able to leave immediately if an argument started. Tim couldn’t blame him for that. He handed his own coat over to Alfred and watched him slip it onto one of the hangers that was kept in the hall closet.

“Everyone else is waiting in the dining room if you’d like to join them. I’ll bring out the plates in a few minutes,” Alfred said when he was finished.

“Thanks, Alfred,” Tim said, stepping forward when it seemed like Jason wasn’t about to make a move forward. There was no indication that Jason was taking a breath to steady himself this time, but Tim could make out the movements of his hands in his pockets as they curled into fists.

He gave Jason a reassuring smile and turned to continue down the hallway, letting Jason follow at his own pace. Despite his earlier visit that week, Tim knew that this was still something that Jason needed to do himself or it wasn’t going to happen.

Tim slipped into the dining room first and found Bruce, Dick, and Damian already seated at the table.

“Tim!” Dick exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and hurrying over to pull Tim into a hug.

“Hi, Dick,” Tim said with a chuckle.

Dick gripped his shoulders and put some space between them so he could give him a look over.

“I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“You just saw me the other night,” Tim argued.

Dick rolled his eyes and pulled Tim against his side so that he could walk him over to the table. “I mean outside of patrol. Speaking of patrol, where’s Jay?”

“He’s coming. Just give him a minute. And we can hang out soon, okay?”

“We better,” Dick said, sitting him down next to Bruce at one of the two remaining place settings. Jason would be sitting next to him unless Dick decided to move which would be the best. It would keep him further away from Bruce and allow Tim to give Jason some support if he needed it.

The sound of the door opening caught all of their attention. Jason stood in the doorway, looking indifferent, but Tim could sense the nerves that were thrumming underneath his skin. He offered Jason a small smile and watched as he walked around the table to sit down next to him.

Bruce looked at Jason coolly and Dick’s smile looked more than a little strained. Damian was watching Jason with narrowed eyes, but that wasn’t very different from his usual approach to dealing with people.

“If the Masters are ready, I shall bring in the first course,” Alfred said, popping up from who knew where.

“Yes, thank you Alfred,” Bruce answered, voice not giving anything away.

Alfred bowed slightly before he slipped back out the door. An awkward silence fell between them, no one knowing how to begin conversation. Tim racked his brain for something to say, but was saved by Dick clearing his throat.

“So…Tim how are things at school? You’ve gotten caught up with everything that you missed when you were gone, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotten all the homework that I missed finished. There wasn’t too much that I had to get through and it was all really easy. More busy work than anything. Things have been pretty relaxed since I’ve been back. Thanks for wrapping up my case for me, by the way. After being sent back in time, I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with that scientist again.”

“Yeah we really didn’t need you getting sent back in time again. Who knew where you would’ve ended up again?”

Tim sensed a shift in Jason’s mood next to him. Things were already going sour. “If I had been sent back again, I would’ve just done what I did this time and left you a message. It wouldn’t have been a big deal and you would’ve already had the technology to come and pick me up.”

“It certainly would’ve helped keep the timeline from getting altered,” Bruce broke in.

Tim swallowed nervously and fought to find something to say before Jason got pissed off. Thankfully, Alfred pushed open the door to the dining room and wheeled in a tray filled with covered platters. He walked around the table, depositing them in front of everyone and removing the covers as he went.

“Enjoy, sirs. Once you are finished with these, I’ll bring in the soup for this evening’s dinner,” Alfred said, before placing the covers on the cart and leaving the room.

Tim grabbed his fork and nervously began to pick at his food. He could see that Bruce wasn’t touching his food and suspected that he was having a staring contest with Jason over his head.

“The timeline wasn’t altered that much. And only in small ways,” Tim said quietly. “All major events stayed the same. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but I took steps to ensure that things changed as little as possible. I obviously couldn’t do much when it came to my presence in the Manor, but…” he trailed off.

He felt more than saw Bruce’s gaze on him. It was heavy, filled with so many old memories and past hurts and current pains. This wasn’t what he’d hoped for when it came to Sunday dinner, but maybe if they could just get past this little road block, then things could be better.

“You don’t have to fight,” Tim continued, finally looking up and meeting Bruce’s eyes. He knew that Dick was watching him carefully and Jason was no doubt surprised, by his words, even if he wasn’t showing it. “You and Jason. All of us. We don’t have to fight. Sure, things aren’t like they were back then and they aren’t ever going to be, but that doesn’t mean you all have to constantly be at war with each other. Jason’s here because he wants to try and mend things. And you need to try and reach out, too.

“I know that you’re not always the best when it comes to dealing with emotions, but…you can do better than this. We all have an idea of what Jason’s done. I don’t know if he intends to change how he operates or what he plans to do in Gotham, but I know that the times we’ve met up on patrol haven’t been bad. He hasn’t killed anyone in front of me at least. So…can you at least try to get along?”

Bruce’s eyes slid from where they were scrutinizing him and looked past him at where Jason was. Tim slowly turned his head, catching sight of Dick watching all of them and Damian trying to feign indifference at the whole conversation. Jason was looking down at him. His features remained stoic, but Tim could see the spark of warmth in his eyes that he allowed to shine through. Jason glanced up from him and narrowed his eyes when he met Bruce’s gaze.

“Tim just wants us to get along again. He’s right when he says that things aren’t going to be the same as they were. But I’m willing to try,” Jason said evenly.

“Are you willing to lay down your guns and stop killing?” Bruce asked.

Tim wanted to bang his head on the table because of course that was what Bruce was going to boil everything down to. As much as he cared about Jason, he didn’t know how to put it into words other than how Jason operated in the field.

Jason stared back at Bruce resolutely. “I’m not willing to put the guns away. They’re my weapon of choice and what I’m most comfortable with, but…” Jason trailed off and looked at Tim. His gaze was full of meaning and if he hadn’t been guarding himself to protect their relationship from the rest of the family at the moment, Tim was sure that it would’ve been filled with love. He turned back to Bruce. “I’ve already shown that I can patrol without using deadly force. Tim has witnessed that.”

Bruce stared at Jason for a moment before he nodded. “Your progress when you’ve been around Tim has been apparent, but are you willing to act the same way when there is no one nearby to hold you accountable?"

Jason tenses next to him and Tim had to stop himself from reaching out. “How do you know that I already haven’t?”

“Death records rarely lie, Jason.”

“Unless they become outdated,” Jason shot back.

Tim snorted and immediately covered his mouth with his hand when he realized he’d broken into the moment. Bruce raised an eyebrow at him and Jason smirked ever so slightly.

“Sorry,” Tim muttered.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Jason,” Bruce broke in, because of course that’s exactly what he would go back to.

“It’s a start,” Tim said, staring down at his food before lifting his gaze to meet Bruce’s defiantly. “As much as you want him to live up to your perfect ideals, it’s not going to happen. He’s not who he used to be as much as that pains you. And me. But the best he can do is try. And if he happens to slip up a bit, we’re all going to need to hear what he has to say to try and understand why it happened and what pushed him to do the things that he did.”

“Tim…” Jason murmured, quietly.

“This isn’t just a one-way street or a one-sided relationship. You’re going to have to give a little, as much as it might pain you to do so. And Jason’s going to have to do some things that might make him uncomfortable sometimes. What’s important is finding a new balance between everything between the two of you. It might not always be pretty, but life rarely is. That’s something that we can all attest to,” he said, looking at everyone around the table.

“Those are certainly wise words, Master Timothy,” Alfred said, stepping back into the room. “And something that can be considered over tonight’s soup.”

Tim smiled tiredly at Alfred. The night was going to be a long one and the emotional toll on all of them was already great. And it was probably going to get worse because that’s just what happened between all of them. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t all come out of the dinner the better for it.

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Alfred,” Tim said, sagging back in his chair.

Alfred walked around and gathered their appetizer dishes. Most of them had gone untouched during the conversation: Damian and Dick were the only two who had really eaten. Tim was more than a little relieved to have the soup placed in front of him. It was broth based which would be easy on his stomach. He just hoped that he wouldn’t become so upset that it would be all he could stomach for the evening.

Before he could lift his hand from where it was sitting in his lap, Jason’s hand reached over underneath the tablecloth and gave his hand a squeeze. Tim kept himself from looking over at Jason, because every other person of the room would catch the action and become suspicious, but he did take the time to squeeze back before proceeding to eat his soup.

He just might be able to make it through the evening after all. He just hoped that the emotional strain on Jason wasn’t much worse than what he was experiencing. It was hard enough for him to be in the Manor as it was and stressful conversations would only make the evening worse than it needed to be.

~~

Tim nearly let himself fall to the floor as soon as he stepped into his apartment after the dinner was over. Things had been tense and draining, but he knew that it was a step in the right direction. Things could’ve gone far, far worse and he was grateful for how tame everything had stayed.

The door shut behind him quietly and arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

“Thank you,” Jason murmured softly.

Tim tilted his head back and smiled tiredly. He took in the exhaustion framing Jason’s features and the slightly hollow look in his eyes.

“Sorry I couldn’t do more to keep it from being so tiring.”

Jason shook his head. “Don’t apologize. Things would’ve gotten so much worse if you hadn’t been there. We probably would’ve ended up screaming at each other or thrown plates of food. Alfred would’ve gotten pissed at us then.”

Tim turned in Jason’s arms and wrapped his arms around Jason’s shoulders so he could rest his head against his chest. “I’m glad that I could help. Hopefully Bruce will actually listen to some of what I said and things can get better. It’ll probably be slow and the two of you will do things that will piss each other off, but…”

“But that doesn’t mean that it won’t get better,” Jason added. “I’m not looking forward to this,” he said with a sigh.

“Aren’t you, though? It’s a chance to have a family again. It’s not going to be like it was. And there’s still a lot the two of you need to talk about in order to find a semblance of normalcy, but it’s a start. And you’re not alone in this. Even if I was the one who pushed this on you.”

“You didn’t push this on me, Tim,” Jason said, cupping the side of his face so he could bring their gazes together. “I did this because of you. You may not realize it, but you do help to inspire the best in me, even if that might be when I’m doing some bad things sometimes. You give me the strength to face all of those painful confrontations when I can’t find the courage in myself.”

Tim smiled. It was less tired this time and he was glad that there was a bit of a spark coming back to Jason’s eyes after everything he’d gone through that evening. He snaked his fingers into Jason’s hair and guided him down for a kiss. Jason pulled him tightly against him as they got lost in each other for the moment. It was a relief to let go. To let all of those feelings fall away until it was just the sweet emotions they felt for each other.

They pulled apart. Tim opened his eyes slowly and took in Jason’s lazy smile that was completely open. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and his gaze snapped over to the window. Tim squinted, trying to make out something in the darkness beyond that wasn’t distorted by their reflection.

“Tim?” Jason asked.

Tim stepped away and shut off the light before he moved over to the window. The lights of Gotham came to life and shone through the glass.

“I thought that I saw something.”

Jason moved up beside him. “Threat level?”

“At the moment? Low. Whoever it was looked like they were leaving.”

Jason wrapped an arm around Tim’s waist where they stood scrutinizing the tops of the buildings and the shadows where the lights didn’t quite reach.

“Want to check it out.”

Tim sighed. “Kind of? But I also just want to set up some extra security measures and stay here with you to call it a night. I know it’s selfish, but…”

Jason chuckled. “I thought I told you to be more selfish?”

“You did, but if this is a security or safety risk…”

“Then you’ll be able to handle it if they come back for you. I’m sure that whatever it was can wait. If they are looking to hurt you, they’re going to need to formulate a plan. And if they’re rash and come back tonight to attack, there are two excellent crime fighters here who can take them out in a heartbeat.”

“Point taken.”

“Come on,” Jason said, giving his hip a squeeze before letting his hand fall away. “Set up those extra security measures and then go to bed. You need the rest.”

Tim smiled ruefully. “What, no patrol?”

“Are you seriously suggesting that you’d rather go out and patrol than stay here and sleep?”

“I only want to sleep if you stay with me,” Tim said, biting his lip.

“You wouldn’t be able to pry me away with a crowbar even if you tried,” Jason said easily as he headed towards the bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time since I updated this fic, but life has been really busy. This is going to be the second to last chapter so one more to go to round it all out!
> 
> Hope you enjoy because I enjoyed getting back to this fic! ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim woke up completely well-rested and content when his alarm went off. He burrowed further into Jason’s warmth, earning him a groggy chuckle. He reached over Tim’s head and shut off the alarm much to his satisfaction. Jason ran a hand through his tangled strands of hair, earning him a pleased hum.

“One of these days, you’re going to have to stop staying over,” Tim mumbled, voice rough from sleep.

“Oh?” he asked, amused. “And why’s that?”

“Because I never want to leave when you’re here.”

Jason rubbed his back soothingly. “Come on, you need to get up and shower. I’ll make you breakfast.”

Tim groaned and tried to burrow further into Jason’s warmth, but he pulled away and left him in bed. Tim glared over the covers where Jason was smiling down at him pleasantly. He finally huffed and threw off the blanket.

“Fine. You win.”

Tim shuffled out of the bedroom first and headed for the bathroom, becoming more awake as he went. He shivered in the cool air and turned the temperature of the water up as far as he could stand it, sighing happily as it warmed. His skin would probably be slightly red when he got out, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care if he looked splotchy or not. All he wanted to do was stay home and spend some time with Jason.

The steam billowed out of the bathroom with him as he walked out the door, but the warmth disappeared instantly. He hurried into his room and dressed quickly, throwing a sweatshirt on as an extra measure to fight off the morning chill that never seemed to disappear from his apartment unless he had the heat turned up all the way in the middle of winter.

He sighed happily as his hoodie kept him warm and slipped his phone into his pocket before he padded out to the kitchen. Jason had already placed two plates on the table and was busy filling up a mug of coffee for Tim.

Tim sat down at the table heavily. The effects of sleep had long since left his limbs once he woke up thanks to his years of being a vigilante, but that didn’t mean he still couldn’t be a little shit about having to go to school when he’d rather stay home with his boyfriend. Jason rolled his eyes at his behavior and passed him the mug of coffee.

“Could you be any more dramatic?” he asked with a huff.

“Yes,” he answered, honestly. “I could be Damian.”

Jason opened his mouth to retort, but closed it before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Tim snickered and took a sip of his coffee, sighing happily at the warmth that spread through him from the drink.

“You better not try and get out of eating your actual breakfast,” Jason said, pointing a slice of bacon towards him. “I don’t need you passing out at school because you didn’t eat.”

Tim rolled his eyes and set his cup aside to start on the food in front of him.

“Thank you,” Jason said after he’d taken a bite.

“Maybe you should just move in so then you can cook for me all the time,” Tim mumbled around the food in his mouth.

“Why Timmy are you asking me to move in with you?” Jason mock gasped.

Tim stopped chewing and felt like his heart was going to stop. He swallowed roughly, the food sticking in his throat. He grabbed his coffee cup and chugged most of what was left, nearly gasping for air when he set it back down.

“Um…” he started.

“Relax,” Jason said, smiling softly. “I don’t expect that to be happening any time soon. After all, you’re still in high school and we only just started dating.”

Tim smiled down at his plate and pushed his food around a bit. “Thanks, Jay.”

“Anytime, babe.”

They finished off their breakfast in silence and Jason cleared the dishes away even when Tim tried to insist on helping. Jason swatted his hands away and started the washing.

“Get your things together and I can drive you to school.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He gathered his stuff quickly, most of it consisted of shoving his laptop into his backpack with the crumpled up papers of past assignments. He shoved his feet into his worn, dirty converse and tied the laces so they were snug around his ankles. By the time he walked back to the living room, Jason was waiting for him, hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket and leaning against the wall of the living room.

“Ready?” he asked, pushing himself out of his slouch and turning towards the door.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Tim grumbled.

Jason smiled and wrapped an arm around Tim’s shoulders, pulling him close to his side. Tim couldn’t hide his smile as a warmth at the familiar action spread through him. He leaned into Jason’s side, determined to take in as much contact with him as possible before being separated from him for a whole school day. He wasn’t even sure if he’d get to see him that night. He had pretty good suspicions that he would, but he could never be entirely certain.

He shoved the helmet Jason handed to him on and climbed on the bike behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and squeezing close. The wind whipped around them as they tore out of the underground garage that he’d parked in and launched down the street. Traffic was a little more congested as morning workers were in the middle of their commute, but Jason wove through them expertly, making it to his school in record time.

Tim slipped off the bike and hesitated to hand over his helmet. Jason flipped up his visor and winked at Tim before resettling himself on his bike and riding away with a salute.

Tim sighed and bit his lip before turning away. It was going to be a long day, but he would make it through.

The second he made it through the double doors of his school, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He rolled his eyes, thinking that it was already a message from Jason, but was surprised to find that Dick had texted him.

_Dick: Are you busy after school?_

Tim frowned and typed out a quick reply.

_Tim: No. Why?_

_Dick: I was hoping that we could get together and grab a coffee. It’s been a while since we’ve had one-on-one bonding time._

_Tim: Sure. If you want to pick me up after school, we can head over a couple blocks._

His reply was almost instantaneous.

_Dick: Great! I’ll see you after school. :D_

Tim rolled his eyes and switched over to his conversation with Jason.

_Tim: Dick wants to meet up after school so if you were planning on making a surprise appearance to pick me up, there’s no need._

He slipped his phone into his pocket and disappeared into the crowds of people, resigned to a day of institutionalized education.

~~

Tim nearly sprinted out of the building once his last class was over. He didn’t make it very far when he caught sight of Dick grinning at him. He waved, hand blurring in the air from how fast it was moving. Tim rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at his lips.

“Baby bro!” he exclaimed, pulling Tim into a hug.

Tim laughed and gave Dick a squeeze in return before pulling away. “Time for coffee.”

Dick laughed and kept an arm around his shoulders as they turned down the sidewalk. “I see I’m getting passed over for caffeine and bean water.”

Tim elbowed him in the side. “Don’t make it sound so gross. And it’s not like it’s been forever since you last saw me. We saw each other yesterday.”

“Yeah under very unpleasant circumstances,” Dick joked, jostling him against his side.

Tim winced. “Yeah. Things could’ve gone better.”

He caught sight of the coffee shop and started walking faster, wanting nothing more than to get in between the hallowed walls that served his lifeblood.

Dick tugged him backwards. “Slow down, Tim. The coffee’s not going anywhere.”

“You better hope not,” he shot back.

Dick rolled his eyes and pulled him through the door, ignoring the jingle that rang out above their heads.

“We’re here now, okay? Can you calm down a bit?”

“I’ll calm down when I have a cup of coffee in hand.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, shoving him towards one of the last available tables in the back corner. “You just go grab us a table and I’ll get you your coffee.”

“Make it a large!” he requested before hurrying to snag the table.

Tim took the corner that faced the rest of the room, leaving Dick to have his back exposed. The atmosphere was warm and Tim felt content next to the window, able to watch both the main room of the shop and the sidewalk outside.

Dick sat down and passed a steaming mug across the table to him. Tim wrapped his hands around the warm cup and tried to capture some of the warmth before it disappeared.

“So,” he prompted after taking a sip, sighing at the warmth that spread through him. “Why exactly did you want to meet up today?”

“Is it so wrong for me to want to spend some quality time with you?” Dick asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“No, but it doesn’t usually happen the day after a family dinner. So what’s the reason today?”

Dick tapped out a rhythm against the table and glanced out the window. Tim drank his coffee and waited, knowing that Dick would end up speaking eventually.

“Okay…” he sighed. “After last night’s dinner I was curious. You and Jason seemed to have a pretty deep understanding of each other which surprised me. I figured that you wouldn’t have been able to achieve that type of closeness in a matter of days years ago and suddenly come back to it after Jason’s whole…yeah. I wanted to make sure that you were both okay so I…followed you.”

Tim blanched, hands tightening around his mug, knowing exactly what Dick was going to say.

“I stopped by your apartment and saw you and Jason together. How long has this been going on, Tim? How long have you two been, you know, together?”

“Not very long. Once you guys brought me back we worked a lot together and got close and things sort of just happened. He’s been there for me as much as I’ve been there for him. Jason’s important to me and I honestly don’t know where my life would be without him.”

“So you don’t have a problem with him trying to hurt you?”

“Yes, that was something that happened, but to be fair he didn’t know that it was me.”

“So you would be okay with it if it had been someone else in your suit?”

“Dick, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that we fight people anyway. What he did isn’t a reflection of where our relationship is now. He was sorry for what he did and wanted to make up for it. Hell, he was worried that I wouldn’t forgive him for what he did.”

“And you shouldn’t!” Dick exclaimed.

Tim sighed. “I know that you want to make sure that I stay safe, but Jason’s going to be part of my life. It may look pretty confusing and just not make sense, but we care about each other and want to be with each other. I was hoping that out of everyone, you would be the one person who would be able to accept it relatively easily.”

Dick winced. “You’re making me feel guilty.”

Tim smiled ruefully. “Good.”

He sighed and turned his gaze to the window. Tim waited, sipping at his coffee.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Tim questioned.

“You seem comfortable and safe enough around Jason that I won’t question your judgment. I know you can take care of yourself as much as I want to protect you. And that when it comes to Bruce finding out about this, he’s going to be your biggest adversary and you’re going to need to have someone in your corner to back you.”

Tim blinked, surprised. “Thanks…Dick.”

Dick smiled. “I would like to hang out with you both together. I’m not sure how much Jason would want me there, but it would make me feel better about the two of you dating if I could have dinner with you both.”

“I think that we can arrange that,” Tim said, returning his smile.

The rest of their afternoon was filled with mindless conversation and weird stories that Dick regaled Tim with. They finished their drinks and got their cups refilled. They ate muffins and laughed and Tim was reminded of how good it was to spend time with Dick.

“We’ll have to do this again, sometime,” Tim said when he finally stood from his chair and shouldered his backpack.

“Definitely. And don’t forget about what I said. Talk to Jason about having dinner and we can get together soon. I can even cook!”

Tim pulled a face. “How about we order out? If you cook we’ll be eating nothing but bowls of cereal.”

“Hey, I can-“ Dick stopped short of finishing his protest as they pushed out the door and onto the sidewalk.

Tim was about to ask what was wrong when he followed Dick’s gaze and saw Jason waiting for them on his motorcycle.

“Well,” Dick said, breaking into a grin.

Tim felt his face heat up and knew that his cheeks probably looked like tomatoes.

“I guess I’ll leave the two of you alone. Nice to see you again, Jay.” He pulled away from Tim and shoved his hands into his pockets, starting down the sidewalk and whistling a tune that Tim didn’t recognize.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, eyes darting back to Jason from where they’d followed Dick. “I didn’t realize that you were coming to pick me up.”

“Sorry, I guess I should’ve cleared that with you first.”

“It’s fine. There’s actually something that I should tell you. Dick sort of found out about our relationship.”

Jason’s face went from shock to understanding until he finally groaned and scrubbed his hands over his cheeks. “He followed us last night, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, he did. But for the most part he’s okay with it. He had some concerns, but I think that I put most of them to rest.”

“What about the others?”

“That’s the thing. He wants to have dinner with both of us.”

“Dinner?” Jason asked, confused.

“Yeah. He wants to see how the two of us are together. Make sure that we’re not fighting or something else that only makes sense to him.”

“I mean if that’s all it takes…” Jason said with a shrug. “I don’t see a problem with spending a night in. But I’m cooking.”

Tim chuckled. “I already told Dick he wasn’t allowed to, but if you don’t want to we could always order out.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t mind,” he said, pushing off his motorcycle. He held out Tim’s helmet and grinned before slipping his own on. “It’s also a chance for the two of us to be all gross and couple-y and make him uncomfortable.”

Tim climbed on behind Jason and wrapped his arms around his waist. “You’re terrible.”

“You love it,” he said, revving his bike and speeding away from the sidewalk.

He rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue because unfortunately he kind of did.

~~

_Dick: Great! I’ll see you in a couple of days and make sure Jason makes something delicious. I’m coming hungry so there better be a lot of food. ;)_

Tim rolled his eyes and let his phone fall onto his stomach.

“He’s way too excited about this,” Jason said with a snort from where he was wrapped around him.

“Yeah, but it’s Dick. What else do you expect?”

Jason tightened his hold on him. “True. What are we going to do about everyone else?”

Tim wiggled around in Jason’s hold until his arms were folded across Jason’s chest and his chin was perched on top of them. “What do you want to do about them?”

Jason quirked an eyebrow. “You’re leaving this decision up to me?”

Tim shrugged. “I don’t want you to be forced into a situation that makes you uncomfortable. We don’t have to tell anyone else just yet. We weren’t even planning on having Dick know. He just sort of found out by accident. Bruce can wait.”

Jason sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the headboard. “I dunno…I don’t want to feel like we have to hide our relationship, but…”

“But you also don’t want to have to deal with any potential fallout.”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

Tim smiled and ran his fingers through Jason’s hair until he looked at him. “You don’t have to apologize for the way you feel. If you’re not ready to tell him that’s fine. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to either. Things have gotten more complicated since I went back in time. There’s a divide between us that wasn’t there before. I’m working on navigating it, but we don’t really need to add any more tension to it.”

“God what did I ever do to deserve you?” Jason asked before turning on his side so he could dip his head and capture Tim’s lips.

Tim smiled into the kiss and let himself sag against the mattress, putting a little gap of space between them. “Crazy scientists are good for something after all.”

“That they are,” Jason murmured and kissed him again.

Tim let himself be consumed by it, letting the concerns from earlier fall away. Yes, they were things that he needed to think about, but it didn’t mean they had to come between him and Jason.

~~

The week passed in a blur, Tim not even realizing how close his and Jason’s dinner with Dick was until it was already there and he walked into his apartment to find Jason working diligently at the stove, sporting an apron that took him entirely by surprise.

“Please tell me that doesn’t say ‘Kiss the Cook,’” Tim said, hovering at the edge of the kitchen.

Jason grinned and shot a wink at Tim over his shoulder. “Would you do it if it did?”

Tim hummed and smirked. “If the last couple of weeks are any indication, you don’t need an apron to get me to kiss you.”

Jason chuckled. “Would you care to come over here and give me one of those kisses, then?”

Tim rolled his eyes, but crossed the distance between them anyway. He inhaled the scent of what Jason was cooking when they pulled apart and hummed.

“That smells really good.”

“It’ll be ready soon and then you can eat if Dick gets here on time.”

“If food’s involved, he’ll be here on time,” Tim said. “I’m going to go drop my stuff in my room.”

“Set the table when you’re done?”

“You’re just the little housewife, aren’t you?”

Jason stuck his tongue out at him and turned his attention back to the pot he was stirring. Tim left his backpack in his bedroom and kicked off his shoes and socks before padding back out towards the kitchen. He pulled a stack of plates from the cabinets and placed them around the small table in his kitchen when a knock sounded on the door.

“That must be Dick,” he muttered, abandoning the table in favor of the door. He pulled it open to find a grinning Dick standing in the doorway.

“Hey little brother,” he said, pulling Tim into a hug.

Tim wiggled in his hold, trying to get away, but failed miserably. “Come on, Dick, let go. I have to finish setting the table.”

“Okay, okay,” he sighed, pulling away so that Tim could shut the door. “Smells good, what are we having?”

“Ask Jay,” Tim said, making a beeline for the silverware drawer.

“Pasta alfredo,” he answered and Tim noticed the apron he’d been wearing earlier had mysteriously disappeared.

“Sounds delicious,” Dick said, rubbing his hands together.

“Have a seat while I finish this up. Anything you want to drink?” Tim asked, lining up the silverware evenly next to the plates.

“Whatever you have is fine.”

“Here,” Jason said, placing a can of cola in front of him.

Tim raised an eye at him and he shrugged. “I got them today when you were at school.”

Tim held out his hand and he passed him an unopened can. He popped the tab and took a long drink before sitting down across from Dick.

“Looks like Jason’s actually good for something,” Dick joked.

“Hey, I’m the one who’s cooking here!” he protested, carrying the pot over to the table.

“You were also the one who volunteered. I told you that we could’ve order out,” Tim supplied, hiding his grin behind his soda can.

Jason leveled him with a glare and pointed his spoon at him in a threatening, as threatening as you can get with a plastic spoon, manner before dividing the pot of pasta between the three of them.

Tim inhaled the heavenly scent of garlic and cheese and reached for his fork before Jason even had a chance to sit down. Jason huffed but dug into his own pasta without saying anything.

“Damn, Tim. I’m jealous if you get to eat stuff like this every day,” Dick moaned around his food.

Tim flushed, reminded of the reason why Dick was currently sitting at his table.

“I don’t get to eat this every night,” Tim protested. “It’s not like we live together.”

“You seem to spend enough time together though. How much have you actually been separated since you came back?” Dick asked.

“What is this, an interrogation?” Jason grumbled. Tim could tell that he was unsettled by the inquiry, thinking over how much time they had spent with each other.

“We’ve had some time apart. Jason isn’t over every night and I get eight hours away from him five days out of the week when I’m in school. We don’t always patrol together either so we still have time to ourselves.”

Dick nodded. “I just don’t want you to get so caught up in each other that you ignore everything else around you.”

Jason snorted.

“That’s kind of impossible,” Tim offered. “Yes we do care about each other and want to spend time together, but there are so many other things that require our individual attention that we can’t really forget about them.”

“I’ll accept that. Our lives are demanding ones.”

Silence fell between them as they all returned to their food, but Tim was still on edge. He could tell that Dick wanted to say something else, but he wasn’t sure what that was going to be.

“One other thing…” he started. “This isn’t some sort of misplaced affection is it? You’re not reaching for some past relationship that doesn’t exist anymore, right? I know that you got close when Tim showed up in the past, but I want to make sure it’s not the only way you know how to emulate that feeling is through dating.”

“Dick,” Jason said, letting his fork clatter against the plate so he could sit back in his chair and face him head-on. “If there was any doubt in my mind that my own feelings might be questionable, or even Tim’s if he felt pressured into this, I wouldn’t have let it happen. Yes, I did strongly look up to Tim and continued to after he came back, but I’ve had a long time to think about things and the fact that Tim might want any sort or relationship with me is amazing itself.

“He had the same concerns that you do when we first addressed the possibility of dating. We’ve thought about this and we’ve talked about it. Our feelings are genuine and we care about each other. I hope that you can understand and respect that.”

Tim looked between Jason and Dick, there gazes locked over the table. After several agonizing minutes, Dick nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “Let me ask one last thing.”

“What?” Jason grit out.

“Have you thought about telling Bruce about your relationship?”

Tim winced.

“We’ve talked about it,” Jason said. “We’re not sure when we would want to talk it over. Especially after dinner on Sunday.”

Dick nodded. “I know that it’s going to be difficult, but I would suggest addressing it sooner rather than later. If you put if off too long, he’s going to be angrier than he would otherwise. Secrets and all that.”

“Before we do that, I have a question for you,” Jason said.

“What is it?”

“From what you’ve seen so far, do you support our relationship or are we going to have another adversary in addition to Bruce?”

Dick smiled and took a bite of his pasta that was quickly cooling. “I’ll back you up when it comes to Bruce. I was uncertain about the two of you at first, but you care about each other a lot. And you’ve obviously done a lot of thinking and talking before establishing your relationship. I can’t fault you for that or anything else that might come up. But what I can do is help you with the big guy since he might be the hardest to win over.”

“Any tips on making him hate this whole situation less?” Tim grumbled.

Dick shrugged. “Talk to him and be honest. I can only do so much, but…just talk to him. And soon. He might start to suspect something.”

Jason let out a wavering breath and Tim looked over at him. He looked a little nauseous at the prospect of confronting Bruce, but Tim couldn’t really blame him for that.

~~

Jason leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. He felt mentally drained, more than he should be after a dinner in with Tim and Dick.

“You going to be okay?” Tim asked, curling into his side.

“Honestly?” Jason asked, turning his head to look at Tim. “I don’t know. I think that everything might be okay in the end, but the thought of telling B just…”

“Makes you want to throw up and or run away and hide?” Tim asked with a chuckle.

Jason smiled, tired. “Yeah, pretty much. We could head out west. I hear Alaska is lovely.”

Tim grinned. “No matter where we go, Bruce won’t have any problem finding us. Especially when he’s got a certain Kryptonian at his beck and call.”

“A confrontation with Superman is the last thing that I need right now. I feel like Clark’s niceness would be enough to make me repent all of my sins and there’s not even anything remotely wrong with our relationship.”

“Clark’s presence is enough to make you feel like you’ve done something wrong,” Tim agreed.

Jason smiled at him.

“I guess we’ll have to avoid running away and possible confrontations with Superman.”

“Are you really ready to tell Bruce about our relationship?” Tim asked, biting his lip.

“I have to be, don’t I? As much as I hate to admit this, Dick made a good point that the outcome will only be worse if we put off telling him or he ends up finding out without us talking about it. I don’t want to make things worse than they have to be.”

Tim took Jason’s hand in his own and twined their fingers together. “Are you ready enough to do it this weekend or should we put it off a little longer.”

Jason squeezed his hand. “It’s best to treat it like a band-aid, right? Just rip that sucker off and deal with the short burst of pain that follows.”

Tim smiled. “I’m not sure that’s the best way of doing things, but if it makes you feel better, sure. We can just rip it off and put it all out there.”

“Thanks, Tim.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Don’t thank me yet. We haven’t even talked to Bruce.”

Jason pulled Tim in for a kiss and settled his head against the back of the couch again with a sigh.

“Come on,” Tim said, tugging on his arm. “It’s been a long day, let’s go get some sleep.”

Jason groaned but let himself be pulled to his feet. He kept Tim close and smiled down at him, earning himself a blush. He grinned and walked Tim towards his bedroom until they could both fall onto the mattress. Tim wiggled out of his hold so he could go change and Jason took the time to shove off his jeans so he could crawl under the blanket in his boxers.

Tim shut off the light before joining Jason under the blanket. It wasn’t long before both of them were asleep, content and secure in each other’s arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. We have reached the final chapter of this fic that I started so many months ago. As some of you may remember or maybe you've forgotten, or maybe just didn't know in the first place, whatever your stance, it's fine, but as you may or may not know, this was intended to be a short 4-5k oneshot, but it has grown into something 10x longer. 
> 
> I've poured a great deal of heart and soul into this in character development and working with the events that occurred in this and building the relationship. I'm very much excited to share this last chapter because writing it alone tugged at my heart strings. 
> 
> So please enjoy it, as I have, because as much as we try and would yearn for it, none of us have a crazy scientist capable of sending us back to the beginning of this fic, but maybe reading the final chapter will help remind you why you started it in the first place. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Tim stared down at the phone in his hands and turned to look at Jason who was sitting next to him, body rigid and tense.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” he asked.

Jason hunched his shoulders and glanced at Tim out of the corner of his eye before resuming his staring contest with the floor.

“It’s probably better if you do it. I don’t know how happy B would be if he got a phone call from me.”

Tim nodded. “I can understand that. The conversation would be less likely to go well if the two of you were having it. I’m not sure you’d even get around to the point of the call.”

The corner of Jason’s lips ticked upwards for a second. It was a relief for Tim. He was glad that he could still break through Jason’s façade even with something like this.

“But,” Tim continued. “Are you sure you want to have the dinner? Are you ready for this? Do you think you can handle it?”

Jason sighed and hung his head further, gaze boring into the floor. “Am I ready? No. I am the furthest thing from ready from having to tell the man who’s suspicious of everything I do that I’m dating you. Do I think I can handle it? Maybe. I can’t say that yelling won’t be involved. But am I sure? Absolutely,” he said, turning to look at Tim. “I’m as sure about this as I am about my feelings with you and I know that I don’t want to let this be ripped from my hands so I don’t think there’s any point in putting it off.”

Tim fought down the warmth that threatened to consume him and all of the words that wanted to spill from his lips. He wanted to tell Jason so many things, but now wasn’t the time to do that. He had a phone call to make and if he didn’t do it in that moment, then it would just keep getting pushed further and further back.

He scrolled through his contacts and found the number for Bruce’s personal phone. Hopefully, he would take it as the least life-threatening and emergency inducing option and wouldn’t be halfway to the Batmobile before even answering the call. He hit dial and held the phone up to his ear. He briefly thought that he should’ve called Alfred instead.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Bruce, I have something I wanted to ask you,” Tim started slowly.

“Okay. What is it?”

“I was hoping that we could have dinner this weekend, but not just us. Jason wants to be there, too.”

There was a painful silence on the phone and Tim winced, imagining what was probably going through Bruce’s mind at the moment. Most of it wasn’t very pleasant.

“Just the three of us?” he clarified.

“Yes.” Tim rubbed a hand over his forehead. Waiting for him to hang up or agree or maybe the world would end right then and he wouldn’t have to worry about the answer. The silence pounded over the line and struck Tim over the head with its ferocity.

“I’ll let Alfred know you’ll be by this weekend. Be here for the usual time we have our dinners on Sundays,” he said, shortly.

Tim blinked, surprised that he’d agreed so quickly.

“Tim?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, snapping out of his daze. “Yeah that sounds great. We’ll see you then.”

Bruce ended the call before Tim could even think about saying goodbye and he lowered the phone from his hand to stare at the screen that blinked back to where Bruce’s contact was on his phone.

“So he agreed?” Jason asked.

Tim turned to face him and nodded. Jason let out a heavy breath and sagged against the back of the couch.

“Are you going to be okay?” Tim asked.

“I feel like I should be asking you that since you were the one on the phone with him,” Jason tried to joke, but Tim could see the accumulation of everything life had thrown at him hovering behind his gaze. His pupils were hollower than they usually were, reflecting the agonizing experiences he’d gone through.

Tim smiled and scooted closer to Jason, letting his head rest on his shoulder and leaving his arm to drape across Jason’s stomach. Jason’s arm wrapped tightly around him and pulled him close enough were Tim was practically sitting his lap. To make the position more comfortable, Tim swung his legs up and over Jason’s so they came to rest on the other side of the couch.

“It’ll be fine,” Tim murmured. “We’re going to have dinner on Sunday. We’ve got a whole week to prepare. There won’t be anything to worry about.”

Jason snorted, but tried tugging him closer, seeking to eliminate any space between them. Tim rubbed his thumb over the fabric of Jason’s shirt where his hand had come to rest. Jason ducked his head and kissed the side of Tim’s head.

“If you’re with me, I think I can handle anything. Even a stuffy old dinner with B.”

Tim smiled. “Don’t let Alfred hear you say that. I don’t think he’d take too kindly to his food being called stuffy.”

Jason chuckled softly. Tim could tell he was trying to make his voice light and airy to avoid suspicion, but Tim could still hear the slight strain underneath it. He snuggled closer and tightened his grip, hoping to offer some form of comfort before Jason was faced with the lion’s den. Tim knew he would be facing some of the same skepticism, but it seemed insignificant to the adversity Tim knew Jason would surely face at the hands of Bruce.

He wasn’t sure how much convincing it was going to take to make him believe their relationship. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if they would be able to get his approval. But that didn’t mean Tim wasn’t going to try. He would fight his hardest for this, for Jason more than himself. It would be a sign of peace. A small olive branch that things weren’t as tenuous as they seemed to be. And that Jason might not be as on the fringes of the family as he thought.

~~

The week passed in a blur. Even though Tim had more distractions than Jason, it still amazed him when Friday was upon them, and then Saturday, and finally Sunday. The fact he was nervous and ill at ease must’ve meant Jason was experiencing a worse range or emotions.

Jason hid it well, keeping his emotions masked underneath the surface as he’d practiced for so long, but Tim could feel the tension in his muscles and the nervous energy that thrummed under his skin. He almost wanted to joke with Jason that he was on the verge of being the flash, able to vibrate right out of the situation.

But they were determined. This was something that needed to happen and they were going to make it work even if it meant leaving the Manor for good after the dinner was over.

Tim kept a tight hold on Jason during the entire ride there. He pushed himself as close as he could and the narrow bike seat would allow and if his grip was on the verge of suffocating Jason, he didn’t comment.

The gates opened before they could press the intercom and Jason eased up the drive until they were waiting at the foot of the stairs. He killed the engine and Tim felt him sigh, his whole body compressing underneath the weight of reality. All his fears and worries dragging his limbs down and making him feel sluggish.

Tim let his grip fall away, freeing Jason from the confines of his arms and pulled off his own helmet. He ran a hand through his flattened hair and waited. Jason’s grip was tight on the handlebars, his gloves pulling taut over his skin and Tim knew if he could see his hands, the knuckles would be white from the strain they were under.

After several long minutes, he managed to loosen his grip and reach for the helmet on his head. He kept his head bowed even after it was removed, fingers rubbing over the smooth surface as thoughts raced through his mind. He let out another sigh that pulled his shoulders even further down with the gravity of the past, present, and future.

Tim reached out a hand and squeezed his shoulder. “Are you ready?” he whispered.

Jason made no sound. Made no move. And then, like the caution of a newborn calf, he raised himself from the seat and swung his leg over the side. Tim followed him and watched as he methodically stowed their helmets underneath the seat.

Jason turned to face the Manor and Tim held out his hand. It was an invitation. He’d be willing to give them away before they could even say anything if it would provide the comfort and strength Jason needed.

Jason reached out and gave Tim’s hand a squeeze, but didn’t link their fingers together, letting their hands fall away instead. Tim stepped forward first, walking towards the stairs with Jason behind him. As usual, Alfred pulled the door open before they could even think to knock.

“Welcome back, sirs,” he said with a small bow, letting them inside. “Master Bruce is waiting for you in the dining room. I will have the first course brought in in a moment.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Tim said, offering him a smile.

“Of course, Master Timothy,” he said, shutting the door behind them.

Jason smiled at him as they left the foyer behind, but refrained from saying anything. Tim wondered what was going through his mind now that they were back. He could be having doubts or questioning whether this was the right course of action.

The doors to the dining room had been propped open by Alfred and they walked through, taking the available seats on either side of where Bruce sat at the head of the table. Bruce looked over them both as they sat, mouth flattened in a thin line.

They sat at the table in silence. Tim glanced between Jason and Bruce. Jason stared hard at his plate and Bruce was looking forward across the dining room. He wanted to sigh because he wished for once he wouldn’t be the one who needed to broach such an uncomfortable topic. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it to swallow when Alfred walked in, pushing a cart with bowls of soup.

“Here you are, sirs,” he said, setting one in front of each of them.

“Thanks Alfred,” Tim murmured. He immediately picked up his spoon and swirled it through the liquid. He glanced at Jason and saw his knuckles were white around his spoon where Bruce sat back, sipping idly. Tim allowed himself to indulge in a few sips, letting the warmth from the liquid seep into his bones and give him the strength he needed to make this work.

Finally gathering the courage to speak, he opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Bruce.

“So what did you really want to talk about?” he asked, eyeing them both before his gaze settled on Tim. “There was an obvious reason for calling this dinner that didn’t have to do with sitting down to eat and enjoy each other’s company.”

Tim cleared his throat. “You’re right. Jason and I did want to talk to you about something.”

Bruce folded his hands into his lap and sat back against his chair. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Tim to continue.

“We-“ Tim started. “Well, you see…”

“Tim and I have spent a lot of time together since he returned from the past,” Jason broke in.

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” Bruce acknowledged. “You too seem to have gotten quite close despite the things that have happened before.”

“I guess we should start there,” Tim mumbled. “You should know that I don’t hold what Jason did against him. We both know that Jason didn’t know it was me who he was attacking and although that doesn’t excuse his behavior, he doesn’t have violent or hateful tendencies towards me.”

Bruce sighed. “If this is about Jason patrolling or being welcome back into the family-“

“Well,” Tim interrupted and winced at having cut him off. “It sort of is in a way. You see-“

“Tim and I are dating,” Jason said, breaking in.

Tim stared at Jason whose gaze was fixed on his plate. He turned to look at Bruce and Tim did the same. Bruce’s face was stoic, not giving away what he felt or how he was processing the bomb Jason had pretty much dropped in his lap.

The silence was loud with all of the possibilities and ways the conversation could go, but no one said anything. Tim could feel his heart racing in his chest and could only imagine what was going through Jason’s mind. Although he seemed more relaxed than anything so he might be completely fine with what he’d just laid out on the table.

Bruce looked between them. “Dating.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “Yes.”

Tim fought his instinct to whither under Bruce’s gaze, knowing he had to stand firm in this if he didn’t want it to fall apart spectacularly.

“Is this true, Tim?” he asked.

Tim nodded. “It is.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“A couple weeks,” he conceded nervously.

Bruce nodded. “So when Jason came to talk to me during patrol…”

“That was before we started dating,” Jason said quickly. “I didn’t want our friendship to put a strain on Tim’s life and a couple days later we sort of figured out that we both liked each other.”

Bruce nodded again. He picked up his soup spoon and went back to eating without saying or giving anything else away. Tim glanced at Jason who was watching him. His stomach was starting to tie itself into knots and he didn’t think he’d be able to finish the meal. Not when he had no idea what was going to come next.

Tim managed a few more bites of soup when Alfred returned to exchange their plates for the salad. He managed to take a drink of water, the liquid helped to wet his throat that felt dry and constricted, but he wasn’t sure he’d be capable of eating the food in front of him.

“I have concerns about this relationship between you,” Bruce finally said, spearing a few green leaves with his fork as Alfred left the room.

“We sort of expected that,” Tim mumbled.

“What I’m most concerned with is the basis for your romantic attraction. Now-“

“It’s not hero worship,” Jason broke in. “I know everyone is going to think that and both of us even considered the possibility, but it’s not. I didn’t start to have a stronger attachment to Tim after I was brought back. And even then it wasn’t an immediate romantic attraction.”

Bruce chewed a few bites of salad slowly. “What if you’ve built up this idea of Tim in your mind? Even if you’ve refrained from unlikely romantic ideals based in hero worship, that doesn’t mean you haven’t built up an image in your memory of him being a perfect person. If you don’t recognize Tim as a human who does have flaws, it could lead to intense feelings of disillusionment when you come to understand those things.”

Tim felt his stomach turn over. That wasn’t a possibility that he’d even considered when first confronted with Jason’s feelings. He looked across the table, yearning for some answers and was rewarded with an intense, determined look Jason was giving Bruce.

“I know Tim is human. I’m painfully aware of that fact. I know he’s smart and kind and was there for me so many years ago. He’s capable of taking care of others, but doesn’t always take care of himself. He’ll forgo his own needs and think less of himself because he puts so many people before his own well-being.”

Tim felt himself blush at the conversation. He knew it wasn’t a secret the kinds of behaviors he practiced, but it was still embarrassing to have his shortcomings become the top of conversation.

“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about him or think less of him,” Jason continued. “I want to take care of Tim and show him why I care about him. Even if he has trouble seeing the beauty in himself, I know it’s still there and I want to know him and all of the quirky, weird things he does every day.”

Tim felt his blush deepen even further and focused on the plate in front of him. The knot in his stomach had unwound somewhat at Jason’s words and the care he used when talking about him. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Bruce thought about those statements.

“The two of us were well on our way to building a friendship after we were reunited,” Jason whispered. “We were building a bond that didn’t have any romantic basis even if those feelings did exist in us as individuals. I was more than happy to suppress those feelings if it meant I was able to spend time with Tim and be around him. I didn’t need to have everything that came with a romantic relationship. Being with Tim for who he is was enough.”

Silence hung in the air when Jason finished speaking. Tim hadn’t expected him to reveal so much when he’d been nervous and unsure about telling Bruce about their relationship.

Bruce pulled his gaze from Jason and turned to Tim.

“Jason has told me about his feelings with regards to this situation, but I’m curious as to how you developed through all of this, Tim. You are also part of this relationship and it should be beneficial for both parties.”

The way Bruce spoke, it sounded like he was almost approving of the situation. It left Tim hopeful. He knew he would never be as eloquent as Jason, his confession was testament to that, but he couldn’t be blamed for being honest.

“I don’t know how to explain it really. One moment, I was with Jason when he was still a kid and then he was suddenly all grown up. The difference was jarring at first. I didn’t know what I needed to do or what I should do. I enjoyed the relationship we’d built over a handful of days and it felt like nothing to have that translated into the future.” He looked at Jason who was watching him carefully. “And then we started hanging out. I got to see glimpses of Jason as he used to be and learn more about how he changed.

“And as I learned that it was still him underneath everything that had happened with his death and after he was brought back and after the Pit, it made me happy. I honestly thought it was nothing more than platonic feelings on both sides, but when I realized that Jason felt something more for me, that’s when I started to consider my own feelings and think about things. It took a lot to figure it out. Sure, it may not have taken me weeks or months to realize there were feelings, but it was a lot to sift through.

“And when I realized that I did hold something for Jason that was more than friendship and I knew he felt the same…I couldn’t let the opportunity go. This need grew, to simply be with him and if it meant more than that was great and wonderful and fantastic, but if it meant there wouldn’t be anything other than tag-teaming on patrol or hanging out and watching movies or spending the afternoon at a bookstore, then that was okay, too.”

Tim looked over at Bruce who was watching him, gaze intent.

“I don’t expect you to understand everything that’s going on, but we care for each other and don’t want to see either of us get hurt. We’ve considered the other possibilities our feelings might be rooted in. I know that you probably won’t be excited to know that Dick knows about our relationship, but he had the same concerns and after seeing us together, he knew that we were going to be okay. He was most concerned we were treating each other well and we are.”

Tim sat back, tired after putting so much of himself and his emotions out in the open. He felt like he needed nothing more than a nap to recuperate from all of this. And he didn’t even know what Bruce was feeling yet.

Bruce turned his attention back to his salad. Tim wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he was really hoping it wouldn’t take until Alfred brought out dessert for them to know how he felt. If that happened, Tim would really be walking out of the Manor without having eaten anything.

He picked up his own fork and speared a few leaves. Swallowing them was a chore when they wanted nothing more than to be ejected from his stomach. After a few bites, he put down his fork and sat back in his chair.

Tim looked over at Jason who was handling the process of eating better than he was. His gaze flicked up as he took another bite, halfway finished with his food. His eyebrows turned down in confusion and Tim shook his head. He knew Jason wanted to object, but there was nothing to be done about his lacking appetite until Bruce came out and said something.

Alfred entered with the same silver cart as before. This time he replaced their salad plates with what looked to be roasted chicken, potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce murmured as he left. “You’re right that I don’t understand all of the particulars of your relationship,” he said, turning his attention to them. “I’m still concerned about any lingering effects from the Lazarus Pit that may affect Jason. As Tim’s presence has had a beneficial impact on Jason thus far, I don’t see any harm in the two of you associating with each other. I hope that it continues to have a good impact and you’ll even be led to give up your guns one day, or at least the real bullets.

“Now,” he said, clearing his throat, “I have no objections to this relationship at the moment. As far as I can see, your feelings seem genuine and having Dick back your relationship is reassuring. Even though my concerns remain, I won’t object to the two of you being together as you’ve already put a great deal of thought into this.”

Tim felt relief flood through him. His earlier exhaustion returned after having been strung so tight emotionally and having that released in such a quick manner.

“Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to tell me you were dating,” he tacked on awkwardly before turning to his untouched main course.

Tim couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at his lips, but he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip to keep from outright grinning. Jason smiled back and picked up his fork, nodding at Tim and pointing at his own plate.

Tim didn’t want to eat because of his excitement at the situation, but he knew he needed to and Jason would only get mad at him if he didn’t finish the meal when he could barely stomach the first two courses. The tension in his stomach had eased and he knew he’d be able to get the food down just fine.

~~

Their meal finished without another hitch. Alfred even congratulated them when he brought out dessert which was an entirely Alfred thing to do and they should’ve known he knew exactly what was being said. They were able to stumble through more dinner conversation now that they were all on equal footing even if their parting was a little awkward.

Tim road the whole way back to his apartment, squeezing Jason like his life depended on it and grinning underneath the bike helmet he wore.

“You want to come up?” Tim asked after Jason pulled into the alley next to his complex and he’d dismounted, pulling off his helmet.

“Do you even have to ask?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Sorry,” Tim said, trying to tamp down his grin and failing miserably. “I don’t want to coerce you into anything you might not want to do.”

“You always coerce me into doing everything for you, but it’s okay because I really don’t have any reason to object to doing those things,” he said with a smile.

Rather than walk through the front of the complex, Jason and Tim climbed up the fire escape, but Tim didn’t stop at his window. He kept climbing until he was on top of his roof.

“Any particular reason you brought me up here?” Jason asked, wrapping his arms around Tim from behind.

Tim closed his eyes and leaned his head back against Jason’s chest, readily accepting the kiss he planted on the top of his head.

“No,” he whispered. “I just wanted to take a moment and be with you. As weird as it sounds, this seemed like the least distracting place.”

“We’re vigilantes currently standing on a rooftop in Gotham,” Jason challenged.

Tim chuckled. “I did say ‘as weird as it sounds.’”

He let Jason support his weight for the moment, reveling in the sensation of his body being supported by his. It made everything more real. That they were there together. That nothing had managed to tear them apart yet even though so many things could’ve. It could’ve gone so differently. They could’ve stayed the same as they’d been before Tim had been sent back in time.

But they were different. They were together and something, somewhere-that wasn’t a crazy scientist with a time travel gun-had said that it would be okay for them to come together and be like this.

And that same thing had said it was still okay for them to be like this because as many adversaries that could’ve stayed in their path, didn’t. Dick supported them, Alfred supported them, and even Bruce wasn’t objecting to their relationship even if he still had understandable concerns.

The cool Gotham breeze ruffled Tim’s hair and he shivered, causing Jason to tighten his hold on him.

“If you’re cold we should just go inside. There’s no reason to stand outside and freeze our asses off,” Jason said.

Tim shook his head. “No. I want to stay out here for a little longer.”

They could hear sirens in the distance and the sky was quickly becoming darker. Bruce would be suiting up soon to take care of the citizens on the street and Tim knew he should be too. He needed to patrol and so did Jason, but like Jason had been so fond of teaching him, he was going to take that moment to be selfish.

“Jason?” he asked.

“Hmm?” he hummed.

Tim let out a heavy breath. “I know that things could’ve gone very different and if I hadn’t been sent back in time they would’ve been.”

Jason pulled him closer.

“But I’m glad they didn’t. I’m glad that we ended up here together even though so many things could’ve kept us apart and so many people had the opportunity to get in our way.”

Jason loosened his grip and turned Tim around to face him, cradling his cheek in his hand even as his other arm stayed wrapped around his back.

“I’m glad they didn’t either. If I didn’t have the chance to be with you, I would’ve mourned the loss of a relationship I never knew I needed.”

He dipped his head and met Tim’s lips in a kiss. Where the air was cold around them, Jason’s lips were warm. He pulled back and leaned their foreheads together. Tim kept his eyes shut for a moment, reveling in the feeling and the peace it offered him to stand there and just be.

“I love you, Tim,” Jason whispered.

Tim smiled and let his eyes flutter open so he could meet Jason’s bright gaze.

“I love you, too, Jason.”

The phantom memories of landing on that Gotham rooftop so many years ago played through his mind. He brought up the image of Jason curled up on the couch next to him and how heartbroken they’d both been at his departure. But it wasn't goodbye forever. And it never would be, because Tim knew, deep in his heart, they’d always manage to come back together again no matter how long it took.

**Author's Note:**

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